Déjà vu? The Eurostar has been booked. Strategic leaks of draft agreements have started. The EU's former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is warning the UK it can't have it all and it will not be able to rejoin its single market "à la carte".
The Friction of Re-engagement
Naturally, there is even a row about smoky bacon crisps – an argument between the UK and EU about food labelling has become a classic of the genre. Remember the bendy banana? Or the so-called sausage war between Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron? It's a clash between those arguing it's worth swallowing some new rules to ease trade with the continent, or those whose message to Brussels is, "hands off our snacks" - even though we are not actually in the EU anymore.
A Cautious Approach
Andy Burnham is approaching this conversation with caution. The successes or failures of the impending summit will give him, and the rest of us, a taste of what might lie ahead. As the summit approaches, the Prime Minister faces the classic dilemma of the UK-EU relationship: determining how much regulatory control the country is willing to trade for economic and diplomatic gains.
With the EU signaling that it will not offer an "à la carte" deal, Burnham’s strategy will serve as a critical test of his ability to navigate both European negotiators and a divided domestic audience.
