"In all areas, the U.K. continues to backtrack," says EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier, accusing Boris Johnson's government of distancing itself from the political declaration previously agreed with the bloc

UK proposals for implementing Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland deserve detailed scrutiny. No doubt the Commission will soon oblige! Below = some first thoughts from me (moving from the general to the specific) pending more critical reading & cross-checking ...

'I remain convinced that with mutual respect and constructive engagement by the #UK across the board, on all issues of the negotiating table, we can move forward in the limited available time.'

'The most interesting point in @DavidGHFrost letter was the bit expressing incredulity at no European country being able to operate outside EU sphere. The EU is how countries of Europe (up until now, UK included) have come to organise their relationship over time.'

It is understandable, and even desirable from a business perspective, that many of the UK's demands on EU are ahemm, 'ambitious'. ...

With my Brexit Twitter hat on, let me share some details on the steps involved in getting to that agreement, and why it's unwise (read mad) to expect it to be done quickly. [thread]

I've been tagged in this because I was on #Newsnight on the same panel, but I wasn't asked to respond to this claim about Dominic Raab. So I thought it might be helpful to share the actual clip from the Panorama documentary referenced, showing Barnier talking about Raab.

'Do you think it's practical for us *the UK govt* to require/request multiple extensions?' / What does A50 have to say on the possibility of multiple extensions? / 'If you leave with no deal, you are no longer a member of the EU and you're treated as any other non member state.'