"The Gove Letter":

1. Its aimed at media - its not govt language
2. Its to prepare way to invoke art. 16
3. Gove has never publicly accepted the Good Friday Agreement
4. Ultimate aim is to feed nationalism - & friction in &

EU needs to play this very carefully.

2/

The letter in full.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/957996/2020_02_02_-_Letter_from_CDL_to_VP_S%CC%8Cefc%CC%8Covic%CC%8C.pdf

3/

The letter is final comfirmation - if any still needed - that the EU is dealing with a "bad faith actor".

Up till now EU has tried to deal with the UK a bit like an applicant country in reverse. Attempting to grow a strong trade relationship that could lead to closer ties.

4/

While - as in many trade talks - there's been frictions, the idea was that once deal signed the EU & UK could move on based on an incentive to build trust in areas where they share interests.

Now increasingly likely the relationship will resemble something like a cold war.

5/

By cold war I don't mean armed conflict, but more a constant mistrust where one party attempts to test every single percived weakness and an obsession with zero-sum games.

There is now zero trust.

6/

States signing trade deals with EU usually undertake trust building measure as they get closer relationship.

This seems improbable now with UK.
The EU would be advised to have absolutely everything written down & fully lawyered-through.