What does Boris Johnson hope to get from his meeting with Angela Merkel today?
The German chancellor arrives in Britain today for the latest stop on her farewell tour of the world before she steps down in September after 16 years in office. The British governments news release is gushing, about how Angela Merkel will be the first foreign leader to address cabinet since President Clinton in 1997, and how Anglo-German collaboration has intensified since she took office in Germany in 2005. It doesnt mention that the cabinet will be meeting on Zoom, and it certainly does not mention Brexit, which has led to reduction in trade between the two countries and will make youth exchanges and bring[ing] together cultural figures harder. No doubt Johnson and Merkel will stick to safe subjects such as football rather than discussing Britains departure from the EU, although Merkel well knows that there are those around former prime minister David Cameron who feel that Brexit could have been averted if she had shown more flexibility in his renegotiation of the terms of UK membership.