EU and UK Brexit teams have made a right meal of this
■ I read that the chance for both sides – the EU and the UK – to reach a Brexit agreement is ‘very slim’, according to EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (Metro, Wed). That was his view a month ago but the charade continued – each side is just waiting for the other to blink first.
Now we have Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, getting involved again. I suspect the negotiating teams both want to duck out of the criticism that will inevitably follow when we leave without a deal.
Paul, West Midlands
■ Boris Johnson and UK chief negotiator David Frost should have walked away from these pointless talks months ago. The EU put the most obstinate man they could find in charge of the so-called negotiations – Michel Barnier – to frustrate Britain. They never ever wanted a deal because they already had the best deal out of the UK before we voted ‘Out’. There isn’t any deal that could be better for them than having us chained to their system these last 40-plus years.
Let them come begging when they see us prosper without them but make them wait. Let’s leave them at the back of the queue when we do trade deals all over the world.
It’s a shame US president-elect Joe Biden is as stupid as Barnier. The UK has plenty of other options we need to be taking advantage of now. Let the EU stew in their own juices before talking to them again.
Adam, Dartford
■ Why doesn’t negotiator David Frost fall back on Boris Johnson’s ‘ovenready deal’? Why all this last-minute drama?
Kip Sumner, Manchester
going to return from Brussels either empty-handed or with a very bad deal. There will be no reason for any of us to be triumphant, although Boris will no doubt dress it up in his usual flamboyant manner to be something great for Britain.
If it’s no deal we can all look forward to lorry queues miles long at the ports, rotting food, stinking fish, frustrated drivers, food shortages and higher food prices. It will be absolute chaos. And we will only have one person to blame – the prime minister!
Alan, London
■ The dinner Boris Johnson is going to be having with Ursula von der Leyen will be very revealing. First, the menu: Brussels sprouts, followed by fish – but whose fish? Britain’s or the EU’s?
And then dessert – cake, of course. But as Boris is about to take a bite, Ms Von der Leyen snatches