PM will ‘bang the t able’ amid No Deal fears

BORIS JOHNSON today ‘bang the table’ to try to bring urgency to Brexit talks by warning that the two sides are heading for No Deal if the pace of negotiations is not accelerated immediately.

The PM is expected to use a videoconference with the EU’s most senior figures to urge ‘renewed energy and commitment’ to reach an agreement by the end of the summer, and to accuse the bloc of using the Covid-19 epidemic as an excuse to drag their feet in the talks.

The meeting comes after Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove formally ruled out on Friday any extension of the Brexit transition period beyond December 31, but agreed to a six-month delay to full border checks including customs declarations and tariff payments.

Mr Johnson will lead the highlevel meeting with Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament.

Mr Gove and David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator, will also take part to discuss the faltering path to a post- Brexit free trade agreement with Brussels.

A senior Government source said: ‘It is now bang-the-table time. If there is not renewed energy and commitment to reach an agreement by the end of summer then we are heading for No Deal.’

The source said the EU had been slow to come to the table, using the excuse that member states and the Commission were focused on the coronavirus, adding: ‘The EU is not alone in having Covid and their finances to sort out.’

Officials in Brussels claimed that UK negotiators were pushing for a deal by quietly offering compromises in a number of below-theradar areas – something strongly denied by the Government.

The negotiations will involve a mix of formal negotiating rounds and smaller group meetings in London and Brussels – compliant with Covid-19 public health guidelines – for the next five weeks.

Last night, a Government official said: ‘The EU was a little slow to agree to an intensified timetable for talks… It’s welcome that they’ve now signed up to a sensible process to take the talks forward.

‘ The high- l evel meeting was always envisaged as a moment to push negotiations forward. We now need to get this resolved and deliver certainty for businesses at home and in the EU as soon as possible.’