The recently appointed chief secretary to the treasury, was unable to deflect accusations from the EU that the UK government has brought absolutely no proposals to the negotiating table.
Rishi Sunak was asked by AndrewNeil if Boris Johnson had submitted alternative arrangements to the backstop, and initially responded, "Are negotiations taking place? Absolutely," adding that David Frost was "having those negotiations" right now. Earlier, Chancellor Sajid Javid had outlined £13.8bn of investment in areas including health, education and the police in what he said was the fastest increase in spending for 15 years. The plans cover one year rather than three because of the ongoing uncertainty over the impact of Brexit.
In the meantime, EU diplomats have already reportedly complained that diplomat David Frost, the prime minister's EU "sherpa" is "playing for time".
