Let Barnier renegotiate agreement or it’s no deal, says Brexit Secretary
The Brexit Secretary has called on EU leaders to give their chief negotiator the mandate to re-broker an agreement, otherwise no-deal “is coming down the tracks”.
But Stephen Barclay’s plea regarding Michel Barnier came as further government leaks warned of the impacts a no-deal would have on the UK.
Schools south of the Border may have to close, food for pupils’ meals could run short and exams may be disrupted, according to the Department for Education (DFE) analysis.
Mr Barclay said the EU negotiator told him in their discussion this week that he is bound by the instructions given to him by the commission and leaders of member states.
But Mr Barclay said “political realities have changed” since the task was set, with 61 per cent of MEPS having changed in the recent election.
“Such a fundamental shift illustrates the need for a change of approach,” Mr Barclay wrote in a Sunday newspaper. “Mr Barnier needs to urge EU leaders to consider this if they too want an agreement, to enable him to negotiate in a way that finds common ground with the UK. Otherwise, no-deal is coming down the tracks.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ramped up his rhetoric over his desires to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October as part of his “do or die” stance. He has clashed with EU leaders, saying the Irish backstop to prevent a hard border must be abolished and insisted a new deal can be achieved. But Brussels has refused to reopen Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement.
The threat posed by a nodeal departure has been disclosed in a series of departmental leaks.
Citing Dover as having the highest risk, the DFE document says: “Risk of travel disruption could result in school and early years settings closures, pupil and staff absence and exam disruption.”
It says that communications “could spark undue alarm or panic food buying among the general public” and that “in light of any food shortages” it will guide on how schools “can interpret the food menu standards flexibly”.
A separate leaked Government document suggested nodeal could trigger “consumer panic”, food shortages and an increased security threat within a fortnight. Warnings also came from Bank of England governor Mark Carney, who said shoppers and motorists will face higher prices and a “substantial number” of firms could find they can no longer compete in its event. The Government’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, also recently warned no-deal would increase borrowing by £30 billion a year and plunge the nation into a recession.