Boris Johnson’s ego needs to take a back seat if there’s any hope of breaking the Brexit impasse.

The Prime Minister is in Dublin today for a meeting with Irish leader Leo Varadkar to try to find common ground between the British and Irish governments on the issue of the Irish backstop, the main stumbling block in the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

MPs are due to vote today on an early election, but it’s highly unlikely that it will pass.

Therefore, it can be expected that Johnson will suspend parliament, meaning a Queen’s speech will take place on 14 October, which will establish the government’s intentions.

With no-deal Brexit now, in essence, impossible without a colossal constitutional crisis, the only way for Johnson to get through this crisis is to secure a deal that can obtain parliamentary approval.

The numbers speak for themselves, as most Tory rebels would vote for a deal, as would Labour MPs who are determined to see Brexit happen.

As such, it’s essential that the Prime Minister stops wasting precious time and starts with some real diplomacy in order to reopen negotiations.

Even though he’s lost one card close to his chest, Boris still has a ‘strong hand’. It could actually be getting stronger as Germany, Europe’s largest economy, is on the verge of a recession. The last thing Germany needs is a no-deal and be unable to trade with the UK effectively, particularly when you take into account the fact the wider EU and global economies are slowing.

In less than three years Brexit has cost the UK economy an astounding £66billion, as per S&P Global Ratings. This will have grown substantially since then because of the continued chaos and uncertainty.

Whatever happens, this ongoing loss of investment, confidence, opportunity and money needs to come to an abrupt halt.

Boris needs to stop with his egoistic, absurd ‘I’d rather be dead in a ditch’ comments, in order to break the Brexit stalemate for the sake of the UK’s sustainable economic growth in the long-term.

His time in Dublin is an ideal opportunity to make some progress on the ongoing Brexit saga. He absolutely must take it.

Brexit has taken over everything in the UK’s political scope. So much needs to be done to restore confidence on which economies survive and indeed thrive.

The time is now for Boris to stop wasting time and proceed with reaching a deal that gets through parliament. If this doesn’t happen, the UK’s long-term sustainable economic growth will be under threat.

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