The controversial mechanism was introduced to get Boris Johnson’s “oven-ready’ Brexit deal over the line.
Dominic Cummings, former chief adviser to Boris Johnson, has claimed that the UK Prime Minister never understood his Withdrawal Agreement with the EU until it was over the line.
Cummings, famous for “testing his eyesight” during the pandemic, says the UK government always planned to “ditch” parts of the deal they didn’t like after they’d “whacked Corbyn”.
Namely, the Northern Ireland protocol.
His intervention is timely. Lord Frost, the government’s chief Brexit negotiator, is currently in Lisbon attempting to rectify the shambles generated by Johnson’s deal.
Frost, speaking at the British embassy in Lisbon on Tuesday (12 October), said the UK government was looking to negotiate a new protocol – despite agreeing to the current one just two years ago.
No one in Brussels was amused, with one diplomat describing the speech as “patronising”.
Throughout the election campaign, Boris Johnson repeatedly promised his Brexit deal, including the Northern Ireland Protocol, was a “great deal” that was “oven-ready”.
Writing on Twitter, Cummings stated that the Prime Minister hadn’t necessarily lied about how great he thought his deal was; rather, the Prime Minister simply didn’t understand what he was signing up for.
Cummings wrote: “No what I’ve said does NOT mean ‘the PM was lying in GE2019’
“He never had a scoobydoo [sic] what the deal he signed meant.”
The PM’s ex-advisor claims Johnson did not understand the deal until after he’d signed it.
“He never understood what leaving Customs Union meant until 11/20.”
Cummings added: “He was babbling ‘I’d never have signed it if I’d understood it’ (but that WAS a lie)”.
No what Ive said does NOT mean 'the PM was lying in GE2019', he never had a scoobydoo what the deal he signed meant. He never understood what leaving Customs Union meant until 11/20. In 1/20 he was babbling 'Id never have signed it if Id understood it' (but that WAS a lie)
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) October 12, 2021
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