Cécile Ducourtieux: Hello Mycroft,
No, it is unreasonable to think that the UK government is “doing everything possible” not to get a deal. Perhaps some in Boris Johnson’s entourage think the “no deal” would be a “good result” for the country (as the Prime Minister said on Monday). But Boris Johnson is widely criticized for his failed management of the pandemic, and even in the conservative ranks, we are beginning to worry and point out the incompetence of his government. Completing a deal would allow these criticisms to be partly silenced. Above all, a “no deal” would give unstoppable arguments to the SNP, the Scottish independence party, which is already at the top of the polls. Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, did not yesterday address “Charlatans” the Conservatives in power in London?