UK and EU agree to ‘go the extra mile’ in search of deal
●Russell demands an end to ‘crippling uncertainty’ as talks deadline passes
The UK and the EU agreed to extend post-brexit trade talks beyond a deadline of yesterday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was “responsible at this point to go the extra mile”.
In a phone call the two leader discussed “major unresolved topics” after previously agreeing yesterday was the deadline on whether to continue with talks ahead of the UK’S scheduled departure from the EU at the end of this month.
After Mr Johnson’s and Ms von der Leyen’s joint statement the Scottish Government joined calls for an end to “crippling uncertainty” over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
The joint statement from the two sides said: “Our negotiating teams have been working day and night over recent days.
“And despite the exhaustion after almost a year of negotiations, despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we think it is responsible at this point togo the extra mile. We have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the talks and to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached.”
After the call, Mr Johnson suggested any failure to agree a deal would not be due to a lack of effort from him. He said: “I’m afraid we’re still very far apart on some key things, but where there’s life, there’s hope.
"We’re going to keep talking to see what we can do. The UK certainly won’t be walking away from the talks.”
Before updating his Cabinet after the phone call, Mr Johnson warned the two sides remain “very far apart” and that the UK should get ready for the breakdown of talks, resulting in tariffs under World Trade Organisation( WTO) terms from January 1.
He then told reporters: "We're going to continue to try and we're going to try with all our hearts and be as creative as we possibly can, but what we can't do is compromise on that fundamental nature of what we can't do
all about, which is us being able to control our laws, control our fisheries, it's very, very simple.
"I think our friends get it, and we remain willing to talk and will continue to do so.
"But in the meantime let's get ready for the WTO option, and that' s what It old the Cabinet."
A no - deal outcome would cause further damage to an economy already ravaged by coronavirus.
Analysts have suggested around £45 billion could be wiped off the value of the UK'S economy in 2021, with the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasting a 2 per cent hit to gross domestic product.
A WTO Brexit could result in tariff sand quotas being imposed on business with the EU, which is the UK' s largest trading partner.
But Mr Johnson insisted that the UK will do" very, very well ", with WTO terms offering a" clarity and a simplicity" that has ad vantages.
The major sticking points in the negotiations – as they have been for months–are on fishing rights and the "level playing field" which Brussels says it wants to prevent unfair competition from the UK under cutting EU standards and state subsidy rules.
But Mr Johnson has pointed out that no prime minis t er could accept as i tuat ion where the EU could automatically" punish" the UK if it failed to follow future regulations from Brussels.
If that "ratchet clause" was watered down, there could be the possibility of a deal–the UK side has already indicat edit would not regress from existing EU standards on issues such as workers' rights and environmental protections.
On fishing rights, the row over what access EU trawlers would have to UK waters dramatically escalated over the weekend, with Royal Navy vessels put on standby to patrol the seas around Britain if there is no deal.
The Scottish government' s Cabinet Secretary for Europe and External Affairs Michael Russell said: "It is now time for the crippling uncertainty over the future of our trading relationship with the Euro - pea nU ni onto come to an end.
"Whatever the outcome of these protracted talks, we know there will be very significant damage to Scotland's economy and society because of the UK government's decision to leave the transition period on December 31 in the middle of a pandemic and a recession.
"But we also know that the worst outcome of all would be the disastrous impact of a no-deal B rex it, which would lead to significant tariffs, and the UK government must rule this out immediately."
Labour questioned the promises made by the Prime Minister during the 2019 General Election.
A party spokesperson said: “The Conservatives promised the British people that they had an oven-ready deal and that they would get Brexit done.
"The government needs to deliver on that promise, get us the deal and allow us to move on as a country .”
Earlier the Foreign Secretary Dominic Ra ab accused the EU of shifting the goalposts.
Appearing on the BBC’ s Andrew M arr show, he said :“We were told a Canad a-style agreement was available, you’ ve just said it in your own terms, you’ ve put it to me that the EU is not being now willing to offer us that.
“Sole tu sb every clear. If we are forced into this position it is because the EU wasn’ t willing to treat us like any other independent third country would expect to be treated and, indeed, how the EU would expect to be treated.”
Mr Ra ab also argued that there needed to be a political will to secure a Brexit trade deal and called for the EU to compromise.
He said: “You remember the PM has made clear we want to leave no stone unturned, so we’ve been at it very hard at the working technical level, with all the usual jousting of positions
“But what really matters is what the EU is willing at a political level to commit to.
“But I think we need to be really clear there’ s two funda mental issues at stake– the issue of fisheries and the issue of the so-called level playing field.
“We want to be treated like any other independent selfrespecting democracy.
"If the EU can accept that at a political level then there’ s ever y reason to be confident, but there is still, I think, a long way to go.”
Meanwhile, Britain' s forme ram bass ad or to the EU warned securing a deal could go right to the wire.
Sir Ivan Rogers said: “It’s a very different question as to whether we get it by the end of the year.
“I think it’ s odds against today, but I’ m not sure the talks will break down to day either.
“Most of these deadlines in Brexit over many years have carried on being broken and I suspect this might be the latest, but we will see.”
“I do think it is absurd that the EU has taken the approach that it has, which means that G erman car manufacturers, French fishermen and women, the French farmers would suffer.
“And the common sense win-win in the free trade deal Canada-style is still thereto be done."