France blames UK ‘attitude’ for Brexit stall

● Johnson government is ‘intransigent and unrealistic’ claims French negotiator

France has accused the UK government of deliberately stalling p ost-brexit trade deal negotiations and having unreasonable expectations.

The 27-nation EU and the UK remain dead locked in their talks on future trade ties after a transitional divorce period ends on 31 December.

It has raised concerns that no agreement will be in place in time and that tariffs and other impediments to trade will have to be enacted at the start of next year.

Speaking to his nation’ s ambassadors yesterday, French foreign minister JeanYves Le Dr ian said :“Ne goti at ions are not advancing, because of the intransigent and unrealistic attitude of the United Kingdom.”

His comments underscored the recent tone of the EU’ s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who said the talks seemed to be moving backward.

The UK left the EU on 31 January, but both sides hoped that a chaotic Brexit could be avoided during 11 months of negotiations.

Both sides have said that September will be a crucial month in the discussions.

The EU, for its par t, insists the talks conclude before November to allow time for parliamentary approval and legal vetting.

And Mr Le Dr ian insisted the bloc of 27 will not buckle under pressure from London.

He said :“On B rex it we always showed unity and proved wrong those who saw signs of an overall implosion of Europe. It is in staying united that we can stick to our line of a global accord.”

The main points of difference appear to centre on rules for state aid for businesses and on fisheries.

The EU is insisting on a “level playing field” for companies from both sides, so British firms cannot undercut EU firms by disregarding stringent rules on environment and social affairs and others.

The UK is also frustrated by EU demands for long-term access to British waters.

Both sides say they want to avoid a“no-deal” scenario ahead of the next session of talks in London next Monday.

They have also said their divorce should not impede co - operation in the fields of defence, security and crime.

German foreign min ister Heiko Maas, who shared the floor with Mr Le Dr ian, said the significance of the co-operation between diplomatic heavyweights France, Germany and the UK will not remain the same if it is not coordinated with EU headquarters in Brussels. He said that would result in countries such as Italy, Spain or Poland taking greater responsibility for shaping EU foreign policy.

There are also unresolved differences over migration, security, dispute-settling mechanisms, and human rights guarantees.

A discussion about the negotiations over Britain and the EU’S post-brexit relationship has been dropped from the agenda of a meeting of EU envoys next week.

Former UK chancellor Philip Hammond has meanwhile warned that Britain risked being on“a fast trackback to the misery of the 1970s” unless the government adopted clearly defined post-brexit state aid rules.