Boris Johnson’s decision to make it illegal for parliament to extend the post-Brexit transition period is undeniably important. It is a clear signal from a prime minister newly emboldened by a stonking majority that he does not intend to soften his Brexit plans. Those who hoped that he might had failed to appreciate that, at least since the 2016 referendum, there has been a fairly consistent strand of hard Euroscepticism through Mr Johnson’s approach. The move is also designed to recreate the kind of cliff edge that, Downing Street believes, helped Mr Johnson to get to a deal on the withdrawal agreement in October. A clear public determination from Mr Johnson that the UK must leave the…

Source: The Times December 17, 2019 12:00 UTC