Calm down. Barnier's words were not a green light for Brexit deal

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The EU negotiator’s remarks about an unprecedented partnership were nothing new

The flurry of excitement in national newspaper newsrooms, and on the trading floors, on Wednesday illustrates one thing: the Brexit summer holiday is over, and with negotiations at the squeaky-bum end of the process, the slightest indication of where this is all going to end up will be seized upon, make headlines and move markets. But, it is worth looking at some facts – not always the highest-value commodity in the Brexit debate.

The fateful words from Michel Barnier which triggered the value of the pound to jump by 1% to $1.3029 were, sadly for Downing Street, nothing new. The EU was proposing “a partnership with Britain such as has never been with any other third country”, the EU’s chief negotiator said during his visit to Berlin.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2LFQeyL

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