Britain | Papering over the cracks

At last Britain begins to spell out its Brexit aims

Better late than never—but the plans are not always realistic or consistent

THE symbolism of a photograph in July of Brexit negotiators in Brussels was unmissable. Britain’s team, led by David Davis, the Brexit secretary, had no papers before it, whereas the European Union’s negotiators, led by Michel Barnier of the European Commission, had thick dossiers. The message of Mr Davis’s grin was palpable: don’t worry about the detail, it will be all right on the night.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Papering over the cracks”

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