Irish Times Inside Politics

The Spectator's political editor James Forsyth had the biggest Brexit scoop of the week on Monday when he reported that, per a Downing Street source,  Brexit negotiations were breaking down. The reason? As Downing Street sees it, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has gone back on a promise to soften his negotiating position if the UK made the first move, a promise he made to Boris Johnson when the latter visited Dublin last month. But is this all spin or a genuine belief? And what does it mean for next week's EU Council summit? Hugh and Pat talk to James about that first. Then they are joined by UCC's Dr. Theresa Reidy and economist John Fitzgerald about yesterday's budget. What political messages were Paschal Donohoe and Leo Varadkar trying to send? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.