On 1 January we move from prophecy to reality. There is a lot more of this match to go, and the result is not clear
It is hard to imagine a better outcome for the prime minister. Four and a half years after the EU referendum, he clinched an agreement with the EU that many thought impossible. Nigel Farage’s declaration that “the war is over” underlined that Johnson had done so without alienating even the most hardline Brexiters. If Labour’s support was the icing on the cake, a YouGov poll that showed a marked increase in the proportion of voters who thought the government was handling Brexit well (from 24% on 20 December to 37% on 28 December), was the cherry.
So, game and first set to Boris Johnson. If perhaps not quite a bagel , this was, nonetheless, a pretty comprehensive victory. Yet it is worth recalling two things about the tennis scoring system. First, (and for the benefit of some remainers) once you have lost a set, there is no point dwelling on it. Second, however easily you win the first set, the second starts at love-all. There is a lot more of this match to go – and the result is still not clear. Remember John Major’s press secretary declared that it was game, set and match to the British prime minister at Maastricht.
