‘Absent’ Johnson urged to call EU leaders to clinch Brexit deal

UK AND EU negotiators are close to clinching a deal on social security rights for their citizens, it emerged yesterday before the two sides meet in London for crunch trade talks today.

Brussels accepted nine out of 10 UK proposals to protect rights such as death grants and benefits for accidents at work in the ninth negotiating round in Brussels, two diplomatic sources said.

The 10th proposal is that EU citizens pay a surcharge over five years for healthcare access for family members but Brussels says Britain should reciprocate the open access it offers.

There is still no breakthrough on the major obstacles of the level playing field guarantees, fishing rights and the enforcement and dispute resolution system for the future trading relationship. The UK and EU have agreed to intensify talks in an effort to agree a trade deal by Boris Johnson’s deadline of the Oct 15 EU summit.

Mr Johnson needs to pick up the phone to European leaders if he is serious about salvaging a free trade deal, EU diplomatic sources warned.

Brussels is not planning to offer any concessions in the next eight days and is willing to let talks stretch into November. Negotiations could even drag into December or fail completely, unless Mr Johnson stops being so “detached” and “absent”, they said.

“Is he even interested? What does it say to the 27 leaders when an issue as important as this is only dealt with by David Frost [the UK’S chief negotiator]?” said a senior EU diplomat. “It’s about time people higher up in the hierarchy start involving themselves if they want to achieve something.”

The diplomat said Theresa May, the former prime minister, was “always” on the phone to fellow leaders such as Angela Merkel.

UK sources said it was the EU’S rule that Michel Barnier negotiated on behalf of the whole bloc. It was up to Brussels to ensure British positions were communicated to the capitals.

EU documents leaked yesterday said there was “no significant progress” in the talks and the European Commission would “shortly” bring forward no-deal legislation. Governments have become so pessimistic that at least one member state has already begun war-gaming post no-deal Brexit negotiations.

The senior EU diplomat warned “substantial movement” was needed on the level playing field and the governance structure enforcing the new trading relationship. A deal on fishing would be less difficult.

It was possible the trade deal would only be agreed after the economic shock of no deal on Jan 1 concentrated minds, the diplomat warned.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman admitted there was a “significant” amount of work to do in the talks.

‘It’s about time people higher up in the hierarchy start involving themselves if they want to achieve something’