The final few weeks of Rishi Sunak’s attempts to finally get Brexit done were characterised by extreme caution. Unlike the many previous attempts to get deals with Brussels over the line, those in the know remained tight-lipped.
Officials and ministers would only say that talks between the two sides on the Northern Ireland protocol were still a “scoping exercise”. They wouldn’t even admit whether the “tunnel”, the highly secretive talks that take place just before a deal is struck, existed.
