What does Boris Johnson hope to get from his meeting with Angela Merkel today?

Merkel is in Britain today for her final visit as German chancellor. John Rentoul explains what we can expect from her meeting with the prime minister

Merkel to visit PM at Chequers today (AP)

The German chancellor arrives in Britain today for the latest stop on her farewell tour of the world before she steps down in September after 16 years in office. Boris Johnson is putting down the full red carpet – a visit to Chequers, an invitation to cabinet, and a women’s science award in her honour – so what does he hope to gain from her final visit as German leader?

The British government’s news release is gushing, about how Angela Merkel will be the first foreign leader to address cabinet since President Clinton in 1997, and how Anglo-German collaboration has intensified since she took office in Germany in 2005. It doesn’t mention that the cabinet will be meeting on Zoom, and it certainly does not mention Brexit, which has led to reduction in trade between the two countries and will make “youth exchanges” and “bring[ing] together cultural figures” harder.

No doubt Johnson and Merkel will stick to safe subjects such as football rather than discussing Britain’s departure from the EU, although Merkel well knows that there are those around former prime minister David Cameron who feel that Brexit could have been averted if she had shown more flexibility in his renegotiation of the terms of UK membership.