The government should tell us what it wants from the trade deal with the EU

Boris Johnson’s ‘oven-ready’ deal with the EU contained only a framework for the future relationship between the UK and the EU. His task for 2020 is to turn this framework into a complete deal. The prime minister needs to choose whether to do this openly, or to hide from public and political scrutiny. His predecessor’s experience in the first phase of the talks should convince Johnson to embrace a different approach.

The EU (and others) will be transparent about their aims – the UK should match them

During the first phase of the Brexit negotiations, the EU’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and his team set new standards for transparency by publishing information on internal discussions as well as their overarching objectives. Theresa May, on the other hand, refused to produce any objectives for the talks and said that she would not provide a “running commentary”. This tactic was partly forced upon her by the divisions in her Cabinet and her party, but it only delayed problems at home rather than solving them. It also allowed the EU to set the agenda, with the government’s reluctance to spell out its priorities repeatedly forcing it to play catch-up – not least as the EU produced the draft texts that formed the basis for the eventual agreement.

Not surprisingly, the EU is taking the same approach for the second phase of the talks. And the US has also been clear about what it wants from its future trade deal with the UK. If the UK can follow suit – as Johnson did when he set out his desired changes to the backstop – it can place its priorities at the centre of the talks. If it cannot, then once again it will get squeezed between negotiators who are clear about what they are trying to achieve.

Businesses and other interested groups need to know what the government is discussing

The reaction to Sajid Javid’s statement that businesses should prepare for UK divergence from EU regulations highlighted the private sector’s lack of clarity over the government’s Brexit aims. And the same is true of non-governmental organisations, academics and others who have an interest in the detail of the future relationship.

These groups will want to work with the government to ensure the deal delivers on their priorities and, in turn, the government will benefit from outsiders’ views on what decisions to make during the negotiations. In practical terms, a clearer picture of what the UK will look like after 31 December will also help these groups to prepare. This approach will help ease the UK’s exit from the transition period.

Being open at the beginning of the process makes it easier to garner support at the end

Theresa May’s closed approach to negotiations meant that MPs were caught by surprise when they first saw both the joint report on the Irish border and then the eventual withdrawal deal. And when May presented that deal as the only option, rather than explaining the decisions she had made along the way, she only exacerbated the problems of her approach. This resulted in the worst parliamentary defeat of a government in living memory.

Unlike May, Johnson will easily be able to achieve a parliamentary majority for his future relationship – but publishing negotiating objectives will allow for more informed scrutiny by parliamentarians. It will also help the prime minister build public support from the beginning of the talks, bringing people on board well in advance of the end of the transition period.

Knowing what you want is only the beginning of a negotiating strategy

Agreeing, and publishing, objectives does not guarantee a successful negotiation. But it is a strategy that worked well for the EU in the first phase of the talks – and Boris Johnson is in a position to follow suit.

With the certainty of an 87-seat working majority, the prime minister should not be scared of telling us what he wants from these talks. The only reason to keep quiet is if the government is planning to repeat its negotiating strategy from October 2019 and make significant concessions to the EU while painting them as triumphs. After all, a strategy of silence means anything can be presented as a win. But if the government really believes it can get a good deal, then it should tell us what it thinks that deal will look like.