Hogan: Worst of Brexit can be mitigated with 'a little give and take'

Meeting up with Phil Hogan in Dublin in recent days, there was clearly an awareness of the importance and challenges his new portfolio of EU Trade Commissioner carried, not least because of the tense time in Brexit negotiations, but also because of the instability and tension in global trade.

He was under no illusions that trust and confidence in the EU, in the banking system, in relations with the US were all still at a low ebb. But he did think that the recent visit of Boris Johnson to Dublin and - conversely - the actions of the rebel alliance in London to block a no-deal Brexit give cause for optimism.