Compromise key to avoid disaster
» PM says talks are over, raps EU stance » But bloc keen to keep up negotiations » And UK firms warn of economic carnage
BORIS Johnson’s threat to plunge the UK into a no-deal Brexit is a terrifying prospect for all of us.
Thousands of Scottish jobs rely heavily on trade with our nearest neighbours on the continent.
The Scottish economy is already reeling from the devastating effects of the coronavirus lockdown.
If Johnson hits us with the doublewhammy of a no-deal Brexit, the economic impact would be catastrophic.
It is the politics of the schoolyard for the Prime Minister to talk of us prospering under “Australian-style” free trade rules as he did yesterday.
He is burying his blonde bonce in the sand if he thinks it will bring any benefits to ordinary Scots.
He and his rich pals in the city will be fine but people who need to work for a living face unemployment and economic stagnation.
Our only hope in all of this is that the Prime Minister is just displaying his usual fake bravado.
For all his bluster about preparing for a no-deal Brexit, the UK is still at the negotiating table.
The Tory leader’s self-imposed deadline for walking away passed on Thursday – and yet he’s still engaged in a game of brinkmanship, hoping the EU will cave in to his demand for a closer “Canada-style” arrangement.
But the lips to read this weekend are German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s.
The most experienced politician in Europe says that to reach an agreement, the UK and the EU will need to make compromises.
Our fear is that Johnson has neither the will nor the skill to do so.
We’ve seen light in the last few days but also a lot of shadow ANGELA MERKEL , LEFT, ON NEED TO KEEP TALKING
BORIS Johnson warned the UK to prepare for a no-deal Brexit yesterday as he told EU leaders: “The trade talks are over.”
The Prime Minister took the bullish stance after missing his self-imposed deadline of clinching an agreement by October 15 – with key issues in the deadlock including fishing rights.
Shocked UK business leaders said crashing out of the bloc on December 31, at the end of the transition period, will be all the more devastating after the economic ravages of the pandemic.
And Brussels insisted it was willing to continue working for a solution.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said: “As planned, our negotiation team will go to London next week to intensify negotiations.”
But in a Downing Street press conference, the PM claimed the EU “don’t seem to want to progress a free trade deal”. And Johnson’s spokesman said there was “no point” in the bloc’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, coming to London next week unless it changed its negotiating position. He said: “The trade talks are over. The EU effectively ended them by saying they do not want to change their negotiating position.”
Johnson put the blame for his missed deadline squarely on the EU. He blasted its stance as “unacceptable” and said it needed a “fundamental change of approach” in its negotiating. And he insisted Brussels effectively ruled out his preferred Canada-style agreement at a crunch summit and threatened to drag the UK out on Australian terms – the Tory code for a no-deal Brexit.
The PM said: “They want the continued ability to control our destiny and freedom, our fisheries, in a way that is completely unacceptable. Given that this summit appears to explicitly rule out a Canada-style deal, I think we should ready for January 1 with arrangements more like Australia’s.”
Lord Frost, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, has informed Barnier there is no basis for talks and the pair will talk again next week, No10 said.
But a European Commission source was “puzzled” by the PM’s position, saying: “We are in a better place on the substance of negotiations to conclude a deal than we were a few days ago.”
Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “At the last election, Boris Johnson said he had an oven-ready deal. He has yet to deliver it. Today, we’ve had hot air and excuses over actual solutions.
“The PM blithely talks about an Australia-type arrangement but won’t have the guts to tell people that means tariffs, increased costs and lost jobs. He needs to stop playing games and deliver
They want the continued ability to control our destiny in a way that is completely unacceptable BORIS JOHNSON ON THE EU’S POSITION IN BREXIT TRADE TALKS
the deal that he promised the British people last December.”
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey added: “We are now on the cusp of a bad trade deal or no trade deal – either of which will hit jobs and businesses hard, just when Britain is already suffering from the biggest economic crisis for 300 years.
“The Prime Minister must get back around the table and bring back a deal that protects jobs and livelihoods, already hit by the coronavirus crisis.”
The drama came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the PM not to abandon talks – and thehe EU to be open to compromise. mise.
She said: “Nobody, neither Great Britain nor the EU, wants an agreement at any cost. We are willing to keep negotiating, we’ve seen light in the last few days but of course also a lot of shadow. If we don’t agree, we also have to prepare for the other option.
“I believe it would be better to come to an agreement.”
However,, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “It’s not the job of the leaders of the 27 countries who have decided to stay in the EU to keep the British Prime Minister happy.”
Business leaders told of fears a no- deal Brexit would be devastating. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders chief executive Mike Hawes warned a no-deal hit on top of the Covid-19 fallout could cause permanent damage to the automotive sector.
He said: “We urge both sides to keep talking, to remain calm but work with renewed vigour on a deal.”
Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, added: “The Prime Minister’s statement signals we are heading into dangerous territory. In the eevent of a no-deal Brexit, shoppers will, literally, pay a heavy price.
“Imported food and drink from the EU will face tariffs averaging 18 per cent, kick-starting price rises. Border delays and disruption will bring further costs.”
CBI director general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said: “A deal is the only outcome that protects Covid-hit livelihoods at a time when every job counts.”