EU leaders are united on Brexit but divided on migration

OF THE various things Britain’s government has got wrong in its Brexit negotiating strategy, perhaps the most enduring is the belief that it could drive a wedge into the ranks of the remaining 27 members of the European Union.

A favourite early mantra of Brexiteer MPs was that German carmakers would pressure Angela Merkel to overrule other states (France, say) and let Britain cherry-pick the details of its new relationship. Then it was said that talks on the future relationship would provide an opportunity to exploit different interests among the 27. Over the summer ministers fanned out around the continent to woo potential allies. It was suggested that at the informal summit of EU leaders in Salzburg, which took place on September 19th and 20th, such states (the Netherlands, say, or Hungary) would insist on revising the terms of the European Commission’s negotiating mandate, giving Theresa May’s “Chequers deal” a chance of survival.