Davis: I’m talks over
DAVID Davis yesterday vowed to remain a “determined optimist” in the drive for a Brexit deal despite his increasingly bitter wrangle with EU negotiators.
The EU Exit Secretary acknowledged that the talks over Britain’s departure from the bloc were becoming “tense” and will only “get tougher” following an ill-tempered showdown earlier this week.
“There will be many more ripples along the way,” he said.
And he joked that he was ready to be a “charming ******* ” to defend British interests in the discussions.
His remarks came soon after International Trade Secretary Liam Fox warned that Britain will not accept “blackmail” from EU chiefs demanding a multibillion “Brexit price”.
Mr Davis gave an upbeat assessment of progress during a speech to US business leaders in Washington a day after his latest clash with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
Speaking at the US Chamber of Commerce, he said Britain was aiming for a “successful future partnership” with the EU.
Turbulent
Mr Davis added: “There are many that doubt this is possible but when I spoke to my European counterpart Michel Barnier I said to him once – the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.
“And as ever on that front I am a determined optimist in this – we will get to those opportunities because fundamentally I believe that a good deal is in the interests of both the United Kingdom and the European Union and of the entire global community.”
The Tory Cabinet minister admitted that the EU’s demand for a multibillion divorce payment – which some Brussels sources have suggested could be up to £90billion – was turning into a serious sticking point.
Mr Barnier’s team have indicated that Britain is obliged to continue funding EU overseas aid and environment projects for years after Brexit.
But Mr Davis said: “What we have been doing, as you do if somebody provides you with a good bill, a large bill, is go through it line by line, and we’ve got very good lawyers.
“So, it’s getting a bit tense. But, it’s only early stages.”
He acknowledged he had once been branded a “charming ******* ” during a negotiation when he was Europe Minister in John Major’s Tory government in the early 1990s.
He said: “We are in a difficult, tough negotiation, and I have said from the beginning it will be turbulent. What we are having at the moment is the first ripple and there will be many more ripples along the way.”
During a visit to Japan earlier yesterday, Mr Fox hit out at Mr Barnier’s refusal to allow the negotiations to move on to the trade issue until “sufficient progress” has been made on the issue of the divorce payment.
He said: “We can’t be blackmailed into paying a price on the first part.
“We think we should begin discussions on the final settlement because that’s good for business and it’s good for the prosperity both of the British people and the European Union.”
He said: “I think there is frustration that we have not been able to get on that longer term issue, that we’re stuck on this separation issue and we’re not able to get on to the issues that will matter in the longer term for the future prosperity of the UK and the people of Europe.”
Mr Fox said businesses wanted the European Commission to address the issue of a post-Brexit trade deal urgently, adding: “To introduce impediments to trade or investment would actually send up a signal to the rest of the world...that Europe is no longer open for business.”