Ministers urged to rule out ‘no deal’ outcome
BREXIT SECRETARY David Davis has been told by the EU’s chief negotiator that the UK needs to clarify its position and end “ambiguity” if it wants “serious” withdrawal talks.
As a fresh round of negotiations began in Brussels, Michel Barnier made it clear the European Commission needed more openness from Britain on the divorce deal before future relations and transitional arrangements could be discussed.
He said: “We need you to take positions on all separation issues.
“This is necessary to make sufficient progress.
“We must start negotiating seriously. We need UK papers that are clear in order to have constructive negotiations.
“And the sooner we remove the ambiguity, the sooner we will be in a position to discuss the future relationship and a transitional period.
“The EU 27 and the European Parliament stand united. They will not accept that separation issues are not addressed properly.
“I am ready to intensify negotiations over the coming weeks in order to advance.”
Mr Barnier added: “To be honest, I’m concerned, time passes quickly.”
In response, the Haltemprice and Howden MP said Britain was ready to “roll up its sleeves” to get a deal.
He said: “For the United Kingdom the week ahead is about driving forward the technical discussions across all the issues.
“We want to lock in the points where we agree, unpick the areas where we disagree, and make further progress on the whole range of issues.”
He said this will “require flexibility and imagination from both sides”, adding: “And we are ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work again once more.”
Ahead of the talks, Mr Davis was believed to be frustrated at Mr Barnier’s insistence that progress must be made on fixing the UK’s “divorce” bill before moving on to talks on future trade.
He believes a series of papers produced by his Department for Exiting the EU over the past fortnight have proved that the two issues are inextricably linked.
Meanwhile, Brussels is understood to be infuriated at Britain’s refusal even to spell out how it thinks its liabilities to the EU should be calculated, let alone put a figure on the final bill, variously estimated at between £50bn and £80bn.
Mr Davis insisted that the British position papers were sufficiently detailed, stating: “They are the products of hard work and detailed thinking that has been going on behind the scenes not just the last few weeks, but for the last 12 months, and should form the basis of what I hope will be a constructive week of talks.”
The third round of withdrawal talks began after Labour’s decision to promise to keep the UK in the single market and customs union after March 2019.
Under the new policy unveiled by shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer, the UK would continue to observe EU rules on migration and trade during a transition period expected to last up to four years, in order to avoid a “cliff-edge” shock to business.
The move was welcomed by trade unions and opponents of a hard Brexit, but sparked fury among Labour supporters of EU withdrawal, who warned it could cost the party votes in the Midlands and North.
Mr Davis’s bargaining hand may have been weakened by Labour’s move, which raises the prospect of possible setbacks for the Government in votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill when MPs return to Westminster in September.
Former European commissioner Lord Mandelson told the that Labour had “done Parliament and the public a big favour” by giving opponents of a hard Brexit – including some Tory backbenchers – an opportunity to unite around measures to delay departure from the single market until the shape of the new relationship becomes clear.
And Liberal Democrats challenged Labour to back amendments they are tabling to the Withdrawal Bill which would hold the door open for Britain to remain part of the single market, customs union and European Economic Area. SCOTLAND’S BREXIT Minister has called on the UK Government to rule out a “no deal” outcome as the latest round of withdrawal negotiations with the European Union starts.
Michael Russell said failing to negotiate a deal with the EU would be unthinkable and urged the UK Government to commit to remaining in the European single market and customs union.
He said: “The UK Government must make clear, without delay, that no deal is not only a bad outcome, it is an unthinkable outcome.
“More and more people across business and in our communities are expressing their concern at the damage being done to our economy and public services.
“This is no time for brinkmanship. By ruling out a ‘no deal’ outcome at least some of that damage can be limited.
“In just eight weeks the 27 EU member states will consider whether there has been ‘sufficient progress’ in the negotiations. The clock is ticking, yet we are running out of time to ensure we have transitional and longer term arrangements to protect, as much as possible, the interests of Scotland, the UK and the EU.
“It took far too long – a full year – for the UK Government to finally agree that a transitional period was required at all. We strongly believe the best long-term option, short of EU membership, is to remain in the European single market and customs union. This is essential for Scotland’s economy.”
He also pressed the UK Government to reconvene the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations in order to “fully engage with devolved administrations”.