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Welcome to political thinking. Boris Johnson once compared his chances of becoming

Prime Minister to the likelihood of him being reincarnated as an olive or decapitated by

Frisbee or even finding Elvis on the moon. Let's be honest, many people thought his chances

of getting a new Brexit deal of dumping the backstop were about as likely. But this is a great

deal for our country, for the UK. I also believe it's a very good deal for our friends in the EU.

EU leaders who'd once queued up to sneer and snarl and the man they couldn't forgive for

leading the leave campaign rushed in Brussels to embrace their new friend. So how? Why did this all

happen? In my view, it's simple. They were happy because Leo was happy and Leo was happy because

of the love fest in the Whirl. That summit that was held where Colleen Rooney had her 21st birthday

party. The two of them heading to an encounter that could change things for us all.

Tucked away at a country house on the Whirl, a private moment of massive public importance could

they shake on a deal. Up until that meeting, the two men had feared that neither of them wanted a deal.

The Irish concern was that Boris Johnson was simply trying to blame someone else. The Irish,

the EU Parliament, the courts, for the fact they couldn't be a deal. Boris Johnson feared that the

Irish and some in the EU too were simply waiting for the Ben Act to kick in for there to be a delay

for something else to turn up, a new government, a new referendum, an election perhaps. But in the

Whirl, I am told they both reached the conclusion that they both did really want a deal. And they

then found a way to give each other what they both wanted. I had a very good meeting today with

the Prime Minister and our teams together. Very positive and very promising. I am now absolutely

convinced that both Ireland and Britain want there to be an agreement. That's in the interests of

Ireland and the United Kingdom and the European Union as a whole. And I do see a pathway towards

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