UK and the EU likely to remain best of enemies

When Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, gave her lengthy “state of the union” speech in September, there were mentions aplenty of the EU’s vital relationships with Turkey, the western Balkans and Africa.

- Daniel Boffey

The continent’s security and economic prosperity depended on nurturing and deepening ties with its neighbourhood, explained Von der Leyen, a former student at the London School of Economics. Britain did not register in the speech.

The year 2021 has been marked by a remarkable level of petulance in the UK-EU relationship. The reality is that 2022 doesn’t offer much hope of redemption.

France will hold the presidency of the EU for the first six months, during which Emmanuel Macron will have an election campaign to fight . Boris Johnson is on his uppers, with a large wing of the Conservative party frothing over Covid restrictions and a lack of Brexit dividend.