Shropshire Star comment: Only time will tell on Boris deal

Boris Johnson and his new cabinet colleagues have wasted no time in making a start to their era of power in Westminster. With so many announcements and policy decisions, it’s almost as if they’ve been planning this for some years.

The Prime Minister has been keen to provide a raft of good news stories, whether that’s announcements on policing or decisions regarding better transport links in the North.

The jury is out on whether he will be able to deliver on all of those promises.

And having seen the country gradually move out of chronic debt, it remains to be seen whether his seemingly spend-easy plans will be affordable or will lead to structural problems for our economy.

And yet the truth about Mr Johnson and his cabinet is this: it has been elected to resolve one issue – Brexit.

For nearly three years, the country has been paralysed by self-doubt and a sense of ennui

Now, it is time to take action and move on. David Cameron offered the people the option of leaving the European Union and they voted to do so.

And whether or not such a referendum would lead to the same result now, it is unlikely that the Remain argument would now command a convincing majority to the contrary. Brexit is a divisive issue where there is a small margin for either side of the argument. It is time to get on and deliver.

Theresa May worked tirelessly to satisfy all sides of the Conservative Party and, latterly, the Labour Party, as she sought to build a consensus. She was unable to do so. And so Mr Johnson is adopting a more rambunctious and straightforward approach to Brexit: he promises to get us out of Europe whatever the cost.

No Deal is, we are told, very much on the cards and such figures as Dominic Raab and Michael Gove have been talking up the likelihood of that happening.

What this means for our economy and country in the short term remains unclear, although many experts are predicting the worse. And whether the Government is setting out its stall in a bid to win negotiations or is serious about a no-deal exit also remains to be seen. In the meantime, we can but wait and speculate on whether Boris Johnson will be able to achieve the better deal that was so elusive to Theresa May.