Britannist

While we are on the subject of Germany:

The UK has a massive trading deficit with Germany (to the advantage of Germany). I think we have a bigger deficit with Germany than with any other EU member nation.

That's why the Government over here - which, of course, backs the EU - tries to hide this deficit by issuing statistics which give the figures for UK-EU trade and not for UK-German trade.

Even the figures Labour give out for UK-EU trade are suspect.

No country would be more desperate to hang on to its trade with the UK when we leave the EU than Germany. And they just happen to be the biggest member of the EU (in population terms).

In other words, the German Government would be in the weakest position to back possible threats against the UK from the EU regarding us leaving and the terms of our departure.