Pressure grows on EU to reach a deal

THE EU faced mounting pressure to back down in its troubled trade talks with Britain yesterday after the new Irish premier said a deal needs to be done.

Micheal Martin said an ‘injection of momentum’ was needed in arrangements for the border with Northern Ireland after Brexit.

His comments came as the Government launched a £93million advertising campaign to get businesses and the public ready for the end of the Brexit transition period in December.

Mr Martin told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday: ‘There has been some progress in terms of a paper that the UK government published but we need more detail, we need more precision.

‘I think we need an injection of momentum into the overall talks between the European Union and the United Kingdom. I had a very fruitful discussion with Boris Johnson after I took office. I think we agreed that it’s in everybody’s interest... that we get a good comprehensive trade deal between the UK and European Union. I think that’s in all of our interest, that we get this done.’

During the transition the UK has remained in the EU’s customs union and single market. If no deal is agreed, Britain and the EU will default to trading on World Trade Organisation terms from 2021, meaning tariffs and quotas.

The Government’s public information campaign is headlined: ‘The UK’s new start: let’s get going.’ Adverts will include a ‘Check, Change, Go’ slogan directing people to a website that shows what action they need to take.

The plans include one-to-one support for businesses, either in person or over the phone, to minimise disruption of supplies.

The latest round of UK-EU trade deal talks in London concluded last week, and a new round will begin this week in Brussels.