Brexit, Johnson, Merkel, Macron – and 30 days in the wilderness

Their words, like Johnson’s visit itself, look more like more gambits in a blame game than a genuine change of heart.

WATCH: Johnson meets Merkel 1) She asks for British ideas on the backstop.

“It is not the core task of a German Chancellor to understand the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.”

Congratulations – and welcome to hell

The new Prime Minister will inherit the worst political legacy in living memory – with the very barest of working majorities.

Johnson’s August 1) He must spend time in Scotland

The first in a ConservativeHome series of what the new Prime Minister must do in the month before Parliament returns in September.

The farcical horse-trading of the EU’s top job is a stark reminder of why we must leave

Who are you voting for to run the EU Commission? Have you watched the debates and scrutinised their manifestos? Oh, wait.

David Davis: Johnson represents the Conservatives’ last chance. Here’s why I’m voting for him.

He has a clear plan to leave the EU, and as a former Brexit Secretary I can say that it is credible and has my support.

Conservatism is better than liberalism – and Putin much, much worse than either

What he detests is less liberalism than democracy, and the obstacle it poses to Russian foreign policy objectives.

Nick Hargrave: How Johnson became Prime Minister, cut a Brexit deal, won an election – and triumphed. For a bit.

None of what follows is impossible and, if there is a common thread, it is the self-interest of MPs in avoiding an election before leaving the EU.

Greg Hands: The Party Leader must be far more accountable to Conservative MPs

Three meetings with the ’22 each year, with no questions allowed, are simply not sufficient. Even Corbyn engages more than this.

Trick or treat? The Halloween extension.

At first glance, it looks like just about the worst timetable for achieving Brexit – which must now be seriously in doubt.

WATCH: May arrives in Berlin, only to find Merkel missing

Rather than the traditional red carpet welcome, the Prime Minister had to re-emerge with the Chancellor shortly afterwards to pose for the cameras.

The Cabinet must tell May to go

No way forward is without risk at this stage. But the least hazardous course is for the Party to step out soon with a new leader.

Henry Newman: What will the EU do now? Force No Deal? Offer a long extension? Or even a short one?

Now more than ever, it’s Brussels and not the Government which is in the driving seat – and we don’t know which way it will turn.

Our view of May’s deal

Hers or Letwins? That’s what the choice is narrowing down to. From the point of view of trust in politics, how MPs vote will now make little difference – if any.

Paul Bew: Merkel has let alternatives to the backstop out of a bottle. So there’s no putting them back in.

It really is something when a significant part of the EU leadership joins the list of agnostics. No wonder there is nervousness in Dublin.