WAKE UP EU! YOU’RE FORCING NO-DEAL BREXIT
TORY MPs urged Brussels to wake up to the threat of a no-deal Brexit after EU trade talks came to a shuddering halt.
The British side warned discussions were deadlocked as Eurocrats refused to drop demands for control over fishing, business and state help for industry.
Boris Johnson’s officials now admit sealing a deal next month ready for the end of the year “won’t be easy” because of the EU’s “frustrating” tactics.
Brussels chief negotiator Michel Barnier yesterday claimed a deal was “unlikely”.
A UK official said: “Agreement is still possible...but it won’t be easy to get there.”
The Westminster warnings were led by the former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith. He warned Brussels that it had most to lose if talks collapse, adding: “This a wake-up moment for the
EU. We became a sovereign country earlier this year and the EU needs to start treating us like one.
“The EU sells more goods and agricultural products to the UK than we sell to them. If they don’t want a deal the cost will be on their heads.
“We are negotiating trade deals with countries around the world while the EU stews in its own bullying, bureaucratic juices.
Another prominent Brexit backer, Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns, said: “The lack of flexibility is typical of the EU’s bureaucratic roots and of its inability to adapt.
“It’s time they realised that the UK has left the EU and we are not considering extending the transition period.
“EU citizens and businesses will benefit from an advantageous trade deal with an independent UK in line with the result of the referendum.
“At such a difficult time we have to uphold the values of democracy, encourage a deal with the EU and boost our new independent trade policy with the rest of the world.”
The MP warned Eurocrats: “We are leaving the EU because we don’t want to be told what to do by Brussels and we won’t cave in their unrealistic requests on fishing, which was one of the main drives of the referendum result.”
Five days of Brussels talks in the seventh round of the marathon negotiations broke up yesterday with both sides blaming the other for the lack of progress.
In an ill-tempered news conference rant after the talks finished Mr Barnier accused British negotiators of “wasting valuable time”.
He said: “Those who were hoping for negotiations to move forward this week will have been disappointed.
“Unfortunately, I too am frankly disappointed and concerned and surprised as well, I must say.
“British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told us in June that he wished to speed up the negotiations during the summer.
“British negotiators have not shown any real willingness to move forward on issues of fundamental importance for the European Union.”
Mr Barnier added: “Too often this week it felt as if we were going backwards more than forwards.
“Given the short time left, what I said in London in July remains true. Today at this stage, an agreement between the UK and the EU seems unlikely. I simply do not understand why we are wasting valuable time.”
Mr Barnier and Mr Johnson’s chief European negotiator, Tory peer David Frost, will again try to break the deadlock in another round of talks to be held in London next month.
In a statement yesterday Lord Frost said: “Agreement is still possible and it is still our goal but it is clear that it will not be easy to achieve. Substantive work continues to be necessary across a range of different areas of potential UK-EU future co-operation if we are to deliver it.
“We have had useful discussions this week but there has been little progress.”
EU negotiators continue to demand existing Brussels rules on fishing – and curbing government support for private firms remain after the post-Brexit transition ends.
As long as the UK team refuses to accept the demands the EU will not allow any other issues to be discussed, Lord Frost said.
He added: “This makes it unnecessarily difficult to make progress. “There are other significant areas which remain to be resolved and, even where there is a broad understanding between negotiators, there is a lot of detail to work through. Time is short for both sides.”
Lord Frost repeated the UK Government’s request for a freetrade deal recognising Britain must “regain sovereign control of our own laws, borders and waters”.
He said: “When the EU accepts this reality in all areas of the negotiation it will be much easier to make progress.We will continue to work hard to reach an agreement.” A senior UK official said talks had “not helpfully” become
bogged down with rows about state aid, subsidy policy and fishing rights.
The official added the British team was finding it “frustrating” that Mr Barnier claimed to accept “Brexit means Brexit” while continuing to insist the UK remained tied to EU rules.
Mr Frost and Mr Barnier have agreed to keep in close contact before the London talks.
The official said: “We’ll have to see what can be done in September. This is very doable in September if we work hard and don’t put unnecessary obstacles in our way.
“That’s what we need to move out of the way in the next couple of weeks.
“So we’re focusing on getting things done.”
Despite their differences, the official said Lord Frost and Mr Barnier were continuing to work constructively and had “courteous and friendly discussions”. The two diplomats had also enjoyed a “nice dinner” on Tuesday as part of the Brussels negotiations, the source added.
Both sides in the talks have said any deal needs to be concluded by October in order to be ratified by December.