/1 How significant is Boris Johnson meeting with new European Commission President @vonderleyen this afternoon? It’s significant in that it’s their first face-to-face in their new roles BUT today does not mark start of post #Brexit trade talks. Why?

As we know from Brexit Stage One: The Leaving Process, the EU is fond of procedure and regulation.(It’s the formula to keep so many member states more or less together.) EU law dictates that trade talks can’t start till UK legally leaves bloc (end Jan), and then .. /2