Brexit talks will be over in days if EU does not show more realism, says No 10

Barnier to be sidelined in attempt to break deadlock as British side insists it is serious about no deal

THE Brexit negotiations will be over in days unless the EU realises Britain is serious about no deal, Government sources have warned.

The eighth round of talks with Brussels begin on Tuesday, with progress crucial if the two sides are to finally reach an agreement.

It comes as The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, is to be sidelined in an effort to break the deadlock.

But as the deadline on the discussions fast approaches, No10 insiders say there will be no deal unless the bloc shows “more realism” on the “scale of the change that results from our departure”. They have accused the EU of blindly “following a self-imposed doctrine of parallelism” without realising that what they are asking for is “completely at odds with what the British people voted for, twice”.

They also claim the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has been stalling progress by refusing Britain’s offer of allowing them to share a consolidated text with the 27 remaining member states.

A source close to the negotiations said: “We intensified the talks in July in order to reach a broad outline of an agreement this summer. Due to the EU’s repeated refusal to accept that in key areas we need to do things in our own way, reflecting our new status as a sovereign, independent country, those difficult discussions are ongoing.

“We now face a critical round of negotiations in London. We will continue to set out our reasonable arguments, which have remained the same since talks began in February – that we want an agreement based on precedent.

“It’s time the EU accepted that so we can move on.”

The source added that the EU needs to realise Britain is “serious” about leaving with an Australian-style free trading relationship if a deal cannot be struck. “The whole Government has been extensively preparing to ensure that businesses and citizens are ready for the end of the transition period in any scenario,” the source said. “Outside the customs union, outside the single market and outside the EU.”

Last week, a leaked government document warned of “critical gaps” in new IT systems designed to get EU borders ready for post-Brexit trade when the transition period ends in four months’ time. Yet government sources insist they are so serious about preparing for leaving on Australian terms on Dec 31 that work on readiness is being ramped up, with officials across departments working “at pace”.

Boris Johnson has insisted that Britain will still “prosper mightily”, whatever the outcome of the talks.