Behind the fury about law-breaking, the outlines of a trade deal are visible

Despite the bluster, it’s possible that Boris Johnson could be on the brink of a Brexit deal, says John Rentoul

There are hopes that Boris Johnson might yet negotiate a deal with the EU (AFP via Getty Images)

In all the outrage about a British government going back on a treaty it has just signed, one question still hasn’t been answered. What is Boris Johnson trying to achieve?  

Has he blundered into a legal morass by mistake? Does he genuinely intend to tear up the EU withdrawal agreement while expecting the trade talks to fail? Or is he deploying the “madman” negotiating tactic, trying to convince the EU that he’s prepared to do outlandish things in the hope of frightening it into concessions?  

The answer could well be a combination of all three. But the most important is probably the third explanation – posturing for the sake of putting pressure on EU negotiators.