Johnson on #r4today to Robinson – You really do need to check – I never said ‘collaborators’

Robinson- collaboration. Those who do the collaboration are collaborators

Johnson is running the line of unseen hand behind the drafting of the Benn Act , implying foreign interference

Johnson’s talent is amiable mendacity. He utters the most preposterous claims with a straight face and a chuckle .

Brussels leaked his Plan .

Brussels or foreign government were behind drafting of the Benn Act , referred to today in a minor concession as so called Surrender Act.

Johnson seems oblivious of fact that his administration, through his own action has no majority . Conventions based on a majority Govt don’t work in No Overall Control (NOC) .

Man who shut down House of Commons (HoC ) and his accountability to it portrays efforts by HoC to manage in NOC as unconstitutional

Innovative or novel is fair – but reflect the reality of NOC . However Johnson runs line it’s subversive , with foreign interference ( as briefed out to Tom Harwood and then to MoS) ,

Do or die PM thwarted by collaborators

So having dangled a Plan in the Telegraph but blamed Brussels for leaking it don’t expect Johnson to lift the ‘veil of obscurity’ too much in his conference speech . Because once he does put forward any substance the EU will have to react .

And when Johnson’s Plan is shot down in flames the pressure is on him re obeying law .So Johnson prefers to keep Negotiation Sham alive as long as possible . Ideally the Brussels Bust Up won’t happen until w/c 13 October when emergence of EU Council agenda will reveal reality

In the meantime keep the Negotiation Sham going – reveal just enough to suggest substance. @bbclaurak and @Peston having been remarkably compliant in relaying the Cummings’s narrative with the 11th hour trope played in background despite all the objective evidence to the contrary

And most of all keep the Get Brexit Done legend of the Do or Die Johnson alive . Stoked up with the language of Surrender, Betrayal and Collaboration. When the reality is Johnson won’t be ‘doing’and if there is any dying it won’t be him doing it , in a ditch or anywhere else

Footnote on Johnson’s amiable mendacity re Brussels leak of his plan . He denied to Robinson that what was on front page of Telegraph reflected either his Plan or what would be in his speech tomorrow But if what’s in Telegraph is not his Plan how could Brussels have leaked it?

Illuminating insight here from @nick_gutteridge and @Mij_Europe Brazen ingenuity from HMG to hijack Ireland’s measure of last resort in No Deal and play it back as ’Deal’ You know that thing you really really don’t ever want to do – let’s make that a Deal #NegotiationSham