BORIS: NO DEAL BREXIT IS ‘ A GOOD OUTCOME’
As talks resume PM warns EU ‘ no compromise’ over our independence
BORIS Johnson is warning the EU that a no- deal Brexit will be a “good outcome” for the UK.
The Prime Minister says Britain is ready to prosper without a trade agreement if Brussels refuses to back down over its “unreasonable” demands.
He also told the EU it has just 38 days left to agree a deal before Britain walks away from the negotiating table.
With tensions rising dramatically yesterday, a Brussels source claimed the chances of a Brexit pact are now “sub- zero”.
And the UK’s chief negotiator David Frost warned his EU counterparts that Britain “will not blink” in the final throes of the talks. Mr Johnson insists a trade deal is still possible this month and vowed to “work hard” to conclude the Brexit negotiations.
He said: “Even at this late stage, if the EU are ready to rethink their current positions and agree this I will be delighted.
“But we cannot and will not compromise on the fundamentals of what it
means to be an independent country to get it.”
Mr Johnson’s blast comes ahead of Lord Frost facing his EU counterpart Michel Barnier for a week of talks in London from today.
Officials believe the lengthy wrangle is reaching crunch point after months of deadlock with the middle of next month the final deadline for a deal.
And in a statement released by Downing Street yesterday, Mr Johnson made it clear that time is running out.
He said: “We are now entering the final phase of our negotiations with the EU.
“The EU have been very clear about the timetable. I am too.
Prosper
“There needs to be an agreement with our European friends by the time of the European Council on October 15 if it’s going to be in force by the end of the year.
“So there is no sense in thinking about timelines that go beyond that point.
“If we can’t agree by then, then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us and we should both accept that and move on.”
Mr Johnson said the UK is ready for trading arrangements with the EU similar to Australia’s – it does not have a trade deal with Brussels.
He added: “I want to be absolutely clear that, as we have said right from the start, that would be a good outcome for the UK.
“As a Government we are preparing, at our borders and at our ports, to be ready for it.
“We will have full control over our laws, our rules and our fishing waters. We will have the freedom to do trade deals with every country in the world. And we will prosper mightily as a result.”
Mr Johnson said the “door will never be closed” to EU chiefs to thrash out arrangements with the UK in the future if no deal is agreed in the talks.
He revealed: “We will, of course, always be ready to talk to our EU friends even in these circumstances.
“We will be ready to find sensible
accommodations on practical issues such as flights, lorry transport or scientific co- operation, if the EU wants to do that.
“Our door will never be closed and we will trade as friends and partners – but without a free trade agreement.”
But the PM insisted a deal can be done within 38 days.
He added: “There is still an agreement to be had. We will continue to work hard in September to achieve it. It is one based on our reasonable proposal for a standard free trade agreement like the one the EU has agreed with Canada and so many others.”
EU sources yesterday claimed Lord Frost had made a “gross miscalculation” by refusing to reveal Britain’s post- transition plans for state subsidies and tax breaks for companies. An EU diplomat told the Daily Express: “The absence of a plan for the UK’s future state aid regime stands in the way of progress. It is not only a pity but a gross miscalculation.” French foreign minister Jean- Yves Le Drian said: “It’s not going well, with only two months left. It is urgent, the countdown has started. We prefer to reach a deal but we need to discuss the whole package, including fisheries, to avoid a no deal.”
Meanwhile, the has launched a new campaign to help EU businesses get ready for the end of the transition period on December 31.
The Check, Prepare, Keep Moving campaign will direct firms to dedicated websites and support.
HOW often have we heard about “crunch talks” with the EU? We heard it a lot during the premiership of Theresa May but rather than walking away from the negotiating table we returned to it and played into the hands of the EU’s suave chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
He arrives in this country tomorrow for the next round of talks.
Now the Prime Minister has made it clear that if no agreement is reached by October 15, Britain is prepared to go it alone and “move on”.
We will then seek our own agreements with countries around the world – and there is no reason to be fearful. This follows the pledge at the weekend by Lord Frost, the Prime Minister’s negotiator, that Britain will not blink, as we have done in the past.
We will not accept restrictions on fishing rights nor any vetoes of our sovereign law. In fact, we will not accept anything that betrays the historic and democratic decision that the British electorate made in 2016.
We trust Mr Barnier will get the message and we welcome Mr Johnson’s tough stance. He was elected to “get Brexit done”. And if that means no deal then so be it.