Johnson gets tough with EU leaders amid anger at Brussels’ shift on trade deal
● Raab insists Britain will no longer be a rule-taker after Brexit and legislative alignment with Euro rules ‘just ain’t happening’
Boris Johnson is set to use a speech in London today to warn that the UK will accept no alignment and no jurisdiction from the European courts before crucial trade talks with Brussels next month.
Government sources confirmed the tough stance, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said any suggestion that the UK will have to follow European Union rules and laws after 2021 “just ain’t happening”.
Mr Raab made it clear to European leaders that Britain would no longer be a rule-taker now that Brexit had been delivered.
“We’re not going to be aligning with EU rules, that’s not on the negotiating table, it’s not even an issue of red lines – it is not even in the negotiating room,” he said.
“We are entering into these negotiations with a spirit of goodwill.
“But we are just not doing that other stuff. The legislative alignment, it just ain’t happening.”
The former Brexit secretary told the BBC’S Andrew Marr programme that the Canadastyle free trade deal the UK was seeking “doesn’t involve” adhering to Brussels’ standards once the transition period is over in 2021.
He accused the EU of trying to “shift the goalposts” since the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration was signed off last year, after reports emerged suggesting the EU was demanding that the European Court of Justice has a role in overseeing disputes in any trade deal with the UK.
The Prime Minister’s hardline approach secured backing from Nigel Farage, the politician many see as making Brexit possible.
The Brexit Party leader said that alignment would “not be Brexit”, adding: “I think [the PM] is saying all the right things. I think he is being consistent with the manifesto on which he was elected.”
The Conservative Party leader was probably buoyed by the assessment of Donald Tusk, the former European Council president, that 11 months was sufficient for striking a trade deal with the EU.
Mr Johnson has consistently vetoed the idea of asking for an extension beyond the December 31 deadline for the discussions, despite reservations from European leaders about the lack of time available for a full agreement.
Polish politician Mr Tusk said: “One year is enough to finalise our negotiations.”
But the Government’s rally against EU rules after Brexit saw Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Arlene Foster, express concern that such a situation could cause a border down the Irish Sea.
As part of the Withdrawal Agreement, Mr Johnson agreed that Ulster would continue to follow single market rules to avoid border checks along the border with the Republic of Ireland.
It means that, if Britain has rules that differ from Brussels after 2021, cargo travelling into Northern Ireland from Britain could face inspections.
In comments made to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, DUP leader
Ms Foster said it was “difficult to see” how checks could be avoided since ministers intended to “diverge away from single market regulations, whilst Northern Ireland remains within the single market”.
Mr Raab – looking to allay Northern Ireland customs fears – said that the chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier was “wrong” to threaten checks, saying it was “directly in conflict” with the withdrawal terms.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar had his own message for Mr Johnson’s administration, calling on Britain to dial down the “rhetoric” and avoid putting down “rigid red lines” early in the talks, which are due to start in March.