Aidan Regan: Britain and EU torn by culture clash of two kinds of capitalism

Conservative Brexiteers cherish the neoliberal idea of unfettered competition, with few rules and the devil take the hindmost. The EU’s concept of capitalism is about competing on quality, not price and on a level playing field

Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. Picture: Getty

I would love to have been a fly on the wall during the recent dinner between Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.

I can imagine Boris faffing around, with his quintessentially British humour, championing the meaning of sovereignty in full Oxford-style debating mode. I can also imagine Ursula politely entertaining her guest with an eagerness to get serious about the detail, and wanting to ...