Not strictly speaking necessary, as dr_jones will testify, when I connected his new cruise system into the brake switch yesterday.
You can get away with unclipping the top of the trim panel and folding it down to gain access. There are 3 clips, 2 on the door side of the steering wheel, 1 on the other side.
You'll also need to remove the light switch too, which is a case of pressing the knob in, turning clockwise slightly and pulling the assembly out.
Cheers,
Mike