So Europe could throw out changes

the closest kind, making strong but completely
contradictory claims in the referendum campaign.
David Cameron has boasted that the deal he secured
in Brussels with the 27 other European leaders is
legally binding, and cannot be reversed.
He believes the promises in the deal have legal force,
and that will be incorporated into EU law as part
of treaty agreements in the future.
But in his first interview since announcing his
decision to campaign to leave the European Union,
the man who is responsible for the English legal
system, Michael Gove, suggests that European
judges could throw out the changes that Mr
Cameron fought so hard to achieve.
And he urges voters to realise that the European
Court still "stands above every nation state". He
believes nothing in the deal will change that.
Given his role, and his closeness to the prime
minister, Mr Gove's views have considerable
significance in the early days of this fraught
campaign.
With his customary sharp politeness, Mr Gove
explained repeatedly how Mr Cameron's assertion
that the deal can't be unpicked is essentially wrong.
He carefully stepped around making that direct
accusation, saying instead: "There are two things
which are true.
"The first thing is the prime minister is right: this is
an agreement between 28 nations and all have
agreed that they will abide by it.
"But above those nations sits the European Court of
Justice."
But clearly, he, as now one of the senior members
of the Vote Leave campaign, is disappointed that the
prime minister's negotiations did not achieve his
original aim of "full-on treaty change" and wants to
highlight what he believes are the limitations of
what's been achieved.
Mr Gove's comments will be catnip for Eurosceptics
who've already been arguing that Mr Cameron's deal
is hardly worth the paper it's written on.
For David Cameron, maintaining the sense that the
deal he's achieved can and will improve the UK's
relationship with the rest of the European Union in
a meaningful way is a vital part of his campaign.
It's one thing Tories from different parts, different
generations of the party, disagreeing. It's quite
another when it is two who have shared political
hopes, ambition, and even family holidays.
Michael Gove praised Mr Cameron's generosity in
allowing ministers to disagree publicly. But politics
has moved into a phase when friendships and
loyalties will be tested like never before.