We can do a Brexit deal, says EU chief

Brussels optimistic after progress made on food talks

THE head of the European Commission last night said she was ‘convinced’ a trade deal with Britain will be reached.

Ursula von der Leyen spoke out after Brussels claimed the UK had backed down over a sticking point in food talks.

British negotiators have confirmed they will use EU rules on animals and public health even after the transition period ends.

Food had been a thorny issue, and last week Boris Johnson said the EU was trying to cut off supplies from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland.

The PM accused Brussels of withholding ‘third country listing’ for UK animals and animal products as a means of gaining leverage in trade talks.

EU negotiators have always denied the claims, with one ambassador calling them ‘fake news’. They say any listing will be automatic as soon as the UK spells out what Britain’s rules would be. Without the listing, animal exports would be illegal in the EU and Northern Ireland.

Now that Britain has agreed to spell out the rules, it could prove a turning point in the talks.

A government source close to the negotiations said that the UK would unveil draft regulations next month.

‘It has always been the case our current regime would carry over on January 1. This was clear from the Withdrawal Agreement.’

‘As part of this process we will be putting legislation forward in October.’ Brussels had told the UK it wanted more details on what its food health and safety rules would be once it leaves the single market at the end of the year.

‘ Michel Barnier clearly stated that the EU is not refusing to list the UK as a third country for food imports,’ a commission spokesman said.

‘We are still waiting for comprehensive information on what the UK’s future rules will be, in particular for imports, after December 31, 2020, and when these rules will be adopted. We are waiting for this legislation to be put forward,’ he said.

A UK government spokesman said: ‘The UK’s negotiating team had useful informal discussions with the EU this week as we seek to reach an agreement by mid-October on our future relationship.

‘These covered a broad range of issues and some limited progress was made, but significant gaps remain in key areas, including fisheries and subsidies.

‘We will continue to work hard to bridge those gaps in talks next week, without compromising our fundamental position of being an independent country.’

The development came after the EU was angered by Boris Johnson’s threat to rip up the terms of the divorce deal he signed less than a year ago.

Miss von der Leyen said the UK’s attempts to rewrite the Withdrawal Agreement had been a ‘ very unpleasant surprise’.

But she said that she was ‘still convinced’ a deal could be struck.

‘It is better not to have this distraction questioning an existing international agreement that we have, but to focus on getting this deal done, this agreement done – and time is short,’ she said in an interview.

Meanwhile, the EU executive’s trade boss, Valdis Dombrovskis, said there would be no deal if Britain failed to stick to the Brexit divorce treaty.

‘If the UK does not comply with the exit agreement, there will no longer be a basis for a free trade agreement between the EU and the UK.’