Inside Politics: Boris Johnson warned against Brexit ‘blackmail’

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The Queen likes difficult things tidied up quickly and quietly. Elizabeth II is eager to get Megxit “over and done” with and is reluctant to talk about the subject anymore, a royal source has told Vanity Fair. Boris Johnson remains reluctant to talk about Brexit and believes a trade deal with the EU can be done quickly (if not quietly) to get the B-word process over and done with. But as the PM signs off on his negotiation mandate today, he has been warned he cannot “blackmail” Brussels into rushing into an agreement. Her Majesty may wish to look away – it’s about to get messy. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing.

Inside the bubble

Our chief political commentator John Rentoul on what to look out for at Westminster today:

There’s a cabinet meeting this morning, with chancellor Rishi Sunak again sitting on Boris Johnson’s left – a reminder to all ministers that prime ministers are at their most powerful immediately after winning elections. Johnson will then meet his Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz as part of his EU pre-negotiation moves. In the House of Commons, Labour will devote its opposition day to two subjects: tax avoidance and evasion; and social care.

Daily briefing

DIAL B FOR BLACKMAIL: Perhaps Boris Johnson can arrange for some maple syrup-drenched pancakes at cabinet this morning? The PM is set to sign off on the UK’s formal desire for a Canada-style free trade deal, hoping the EU will see the virtue in an off-the-peg agreement already forged between Brussels and Ottowa. But if it cannot be done, Johnson is prepared for a messy exit from the transition period at the end of 2020. No 10 has ramped up the no-deal threat once again, saying the government will prioritise a clean break from EU regulations over smooth trade arrangements. The French are not impressed by les rosbifs’ extortion tactics. Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin accused the Brits of “blackmailing” the EU into accepting a “bad” Brexit deal. “We will sign up to no blackmail,” she vowed with a Gallic shrug. Are the Europeans getting sick of our games? Johnson was mocked at a carnival in Germany on Monday. A giant dummy showed the PM losing his “Scottish” legs – a German joke about independence, apparently.

SMIRKING AND BESMIRCHING: Home secretary Priti Patel appears to be winning her war with “the blob” bureaucracy. The Times reports that a civil servant in charge of the Home Office’s police oversight has been “forced out” – the second senior official to leave the department since the nasty, tit-for-tat briefings between Team Patel and Team Blob began. Meanwhile, cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill emailed a warning to the entire civil service, saying the recent game of unattributed briefings “besmirches this country’s hard-won reputation for good governance”. One civil service source said the email had “gone down like a cold cup of sick” since the tone “feels like a ticking off”. Oh dear. Patel was forced to endure opposition mockery in the Commons on Monday – but remains a clear favourite with many Tory backbenchers. Iain Duncan Smith said she was “doing brilliantly”, while John Redwood made a cheeky reference to the “talented officials” in her department who had been so supportive of late.

HE DON’T GET NO RESPECT: Jeremy Corbyn may be a bit hurt at the lack of support from his shadow education secretary Angela Rayner. The favourite to become Labour’s next deputy leader has made some pretty damning remarks about Jezza – saying “he didn’t command respect”. Rayner suggested Corbyn failed to persuade voters he would “keep people safe and look after them” and claimed she could do a better job. “I resonate with people in the country in a way that Jeremy doesn’t,” she told ITV. “I think I’m stronger on security.” Leadership frontrunner Keir Starmer, meanwhile, is ploughing on with his safety-first, error-free campaign. He refused to say whether he would consider giving Corbyn a shadow cabinet job. Is Starmer boring? The contender has been mocked by cruel sods on social media for saying that the most exciting thing he’s ever done was taking his children to a football match. Not exciting, perhaps. But pleasant enough, surely?

SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY: Remember how we were told people have “had enough of experts”? Not Ian Duncan Smith. He loves experts. He thinks we can’t get enough of them. Literally. The former Tory leader told BBC Radio 5 Live there were “problems ahead” for the trade deal negotiations because of “the quality of the people” working behalf for the government. IDS wants more experienced experts brought in. “You need to reach out to all those people that are involved in negotiations, really good transactional lawyers that exist in the City of London. Proper trade economists.” Leo Varadkar is entitled to feel slightly smug his experts negotiated a withdrawal deal which kept customs checks away from the north-south Irish border. The caretaker Taoiseach joined Irish politicians and diplomats warning Johnson and his team not to renege on promises. “I am saying to the British government, there can be no backsliding on the Withdrawal Agreement, let’s not even go there.”

TEA AND SYMPATHY: We’re in a deeply strange place as society when a leading tea brand is forced to call for political calm and common sense. Yorkshire Tea had to explain “we weren’t asked” about a photo of chancellor Rishi Sunak posing with the company’s teabags. The image caused a brew-ha-ha among complete idiots convinced the firm was in cahoots with the Tories. “We’ve spent the last three days answering furious accusations and boycott calls,” said the person running Yorkshire Tea’s Twitter account. “It’s been pretty shocking to see the determination some have had to drag us into a political mudfight.” The account’s call to be “be kind” sparked the splendid hashtag #SolidariTea.

On the record

“We don’t win elections by just putting a suit on and trying to look like the most electable person in the room.”

Rebecca Long-Bailey has a dig at Keir Starmer for ... wearing a suit.

From the Twitterati

“I absolutely love @YorkshireTea. Not because I’m a Tory, but because I’m a human with tastebuds. People need to calm down!”

Tory MP Dehenna Davison offers her tuppence-worth on tea-gate…

“Anyone in here goes for @YorkshireTea they’re gonna have to come through me.”

…while Jeremy Vine issues a strong, milk-and-two-sugars defence of the company.

Essential reading

Sean O’Grady, The Independent: It isn’t sexism that’s holding Priti Patel back – it’s her hellish department

Andrew Feinberg, The Independent: Inside the troubled Bernie Sanders campaign, from Russian bots to American trolls

Rachel Sylvester, The Times: ‘I hate Tories’ won’t put Labour back in power

Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times: Putin would hate president Bernie Sanders

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