Ministers’ Brexit talks now 18-19 December

The Brexit Cabinet Committee that looks for the first time at the future relationship will now not be meeting on Monday as originally planned (and as I blogged yesterday – sorry).

I’m told by one source that the delay in getting the divorce agreement through has meant the papers that would circulate have not been fully prepared or cleared, though it could also be that No 10 was fearful that divisions being aired just before the European Council might not be helpful to the optics of that meeting.

The EU27 are sceptical about the robustness of Theresa May’s government and some EU member country officials have even been heard talking about whether it might be worth trying to nudge it to destruction so they are negotiating with a more durable successor.

So the Brexit Committee meeting will now, it’s hoped, take place on Monday 18 December, the day of Theresa May’s post European Council statement to the Commons.

The full Cabinet meeting on 19 December will still, under current plans, be the first full Cabinet discussion on the future relationship.