Michael Gove runs a tight ship

More of a placemark than a post this morning; I’m sure we will all need to find these documents quickly over the next few weeks as the activities of the Brexit saboteurs rises to a crescendo.

The focus, clarity and process of the talks is a tribute both to Michael Gove and David Frost. What a change from dreary May’s demented bungling, and the idiocy displayed by Oliver Robbins.

David Frost’s letter to M. Barnier

Draft agreement on Fisheries

Draft Trade agreement

Frost’s letter is a model of reasonableness, and recognises that poor M. Barnier has been given an impossible brief by his principals. It also sets out the UK’s position to the rest of the world and makes it very difficult for the EU to deploy their usual threat and pressure tactics of smear and false outrage. It is a well-constructed attempt for the UK to take the moral high ground, and to my mind succeeds admirably.

We will all have learned that all successful negotiations always allow both sides to claim some gains, and I suspect that for the EU these will be tariffs. France, the biggest global consumer of Scotch whisky, may pressure the EU to penalise her own drinkers in a fit of pique. But I’m sure we’ll get over it – too much and we boycott EU goods in the UK, which is the last thing that German carmakers want.

Over to you, M. Barnier.