January 2020. Boris Johnson will host a party in No10 tonight for cabinet ministers and pro-Brexit advisers at which guests will toast the UK’s departure from the EU with traditional food washed down with English sparkling wine. Canapés will include a savoury shortbread topped with Shropshire blue cheese, filet of lamb, a ploughman’s of cheddar and pickle, roast chicken skewers – probably not chlorinated – and roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with a horseradish sauce. It is not yet clear whether former prime minister Theresa May will be invited to the party, which begins at 9pm. Downing Street itself will be illuminated by a red light and blue light show, along with the treasury, the ministry of defence, the ministry of justice, HMRC, the cabinet office plus the offices of Scotland and Wales. The Northern Ireland office, possibly due to community sensitivities over the colours of the Union Jack, has not been included. A digital clock will also appear in Downing Street to count down the final hour of the UK’s EU membership. Cabinet Ministers, government officials and Downing Street advisers have been invited. Number 10 has admitted today that trade with the European Union will not be “frictionless” after Brexit. “You can only have fully frictionless of you accept all their rules. We have been clear that we will not be doing so,” the prime minister’s spokesman said. This will not affect travellers or businesses tonight but is expected to be introduced next January.
Brexit – 31 January 2020 – Part 2
