EU ‘willing’ to ramp up Brexit talks with UK

BRUSSELS yesterday said that it was willing to meet the UK halfway when it comes to resolving the Brexit impasse.

It followed demands by Boris Johnson for Brexit trade talks to be intensified.

Last week the British prime minister said there was no point in continuing the discussions after a European Council summit f ailed to provide a breakthrough on a deal.

In a bid to revive the process, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier yesterday told his British counterpart, David Frost, in a phone call that Brussels was willing to ‘intensify talks’.

He also indicated that it was prepared to discuss ‘legal texts’ for a deal, something that the UK has been pushing for.

Speaking in the Commons, the UK’s Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove yesterday said that the concessions were a ‘ reflection of the strength and resolution [of] our prime minister’ and a sign that the UK government’s ‘firmness’ with the EU is ‘now bearing fruit’.

But Downing Street said Brussels also needed to accept the need for it to make concessions on remaining stumbling blocks, including fisheries and state aid, before the UK would return to the negotiating table.

A No10 spokesman said that there had been a ‘constructive discussion’ and the two sides would remain in close touch, but stressed that there was no hope of progress unless there was a dramatic change in the EU’s position.

‘The UK has noted the EU’s proposal to genuinely intensify talks, which is what would be expected at this stage in a negotiation,’ the spokesman said.

‘However, the UK continues to believe there is no basis to resume talks unless there is a fundamental change of approach from the EU.’

It is expected that Mr Barnier and Mr Frost will have a further telephone conversation later in the week to see if there is a way to break the impasse.

Earlier yesterday, Downing Street stressed that if no deal is in place by the end of the year – when the current transition arrangements are due to end – the UK will not return to the negotiating table next year. ‘We must provide certainty to our citizens and businesses, and endless prolonged negotiations

Appeared to mouth ‘Utter rubbish!’

won’t achieve this,’ the Mr Johnson’s spokesman said.

Meanwhile, in the House of Commons, former PM Theresa May poured scorn on Mr Johnson’s post-Brexit security commitments as she warned of the dangers of a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Mrs May repeatedly said ‘What?’ in disbelief and appeared to mouth ‘Utter rubbish!’ as Mr Gove outlined how the UK will be expected to boost its security outside the EU.

He claimed there were ‘many, many areas’ in which the UK can co-operate ‘more effectively’ to protect its borders after Brexit.