This is Paul Adamson and as you all hear, this podcast takes place in a rather noisy London cafe, where my guest is George Parker, political editor of the Financial Times and a former Brussels Bureau chief of the FT.

I think, George, because events are moving so quickly now in British politics,

we should maybe point out when this podcast is being recorded.

It's the morning of Tuesday, the 13th of June,

and things may change before the end of this conversation,

never mind by the end of the day.

So, quick question, easy, easy, easy, easy question.

How has the general election of last Thursday

changed the whole dynamics around the Brexit discussion? Well, I think it's changed it fundamentally

because the version of Brexit that Theresa May was pursuing, often characterised as being a hard Brexit,

has effectively been rejected by the British electorate. She was talking about the idea of walking away from negotiations

without a deal at all, of cliff edge Brexit if you like.

That's been rejected.

She's seeking a deal with the Democratic-Eldster Unionist Party,

who, although they're pro-Brexit, they want basically no border between the north and south.

That means there's got to be a deal in Brussels. It could mean that Britain has to remain

in the customs union. And I think the whole dynamics, the power dynamics have changed,

that you've got a whole load of people in the cabinet now, like Ruth Davidson, who

attends the political cabinet, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, who are keen for

Britain to have a much more open relationship with European future. So I think the dynamics have changed profoundly,

and I think the type of Brexit we'll have will be fundamentally different. And I still think

there's a question about whether this Parliament will be able to deliver Brexit at all.

...