BRITAIN’S Brexit Chief blasted the “difficult” EU today as talks remained on the verge of collapse.
At the end of the latest round of talks, David Frost said “substantial areas of disagreement remain” between both sides.
He said he couldn’t understand why it was “so difficult” for the EU to understand why Britain wanted a free trade agreement like Canada does.
And he said “considerable gaps remain in the most difficult areas, that is, the so-called level playing field and on fisheries.”
Mr Frost said: “We have always been clear that our principles in these areas are not simple negotiating positions but expressions of the reality that we will be a fully independent country at the end of the transition period.
“That is why we continue to look for a deal with, at its core, a free trade agreement similar to the one the EU already has with Canada – that is, an agreement based on existing precedents.
“We remain unclear why this is so difficult for the EU, but we will continue to negotiate with this in mind. “
Both sides accepted that a deal would not be done by Boris’ July deadline -and No Deal could still happen in 2021.
Michel Barnier said at a press conference this lunchtime that a trade agreement was “unlikely” and the EU was “getting ready” for a No Deal.
But Britain was more optimistic, saying they were hopeful one could be done by September and vowed to continue to “keep working hard to bridge the gaps”.
Mr Frost said today after the latest round of discussions: “We must face the possibility that [a deal] will not be reached, and we must therefore continue preparing for all possible scenarios for the end of the transition period at the end of this year.”
EU negotiators will come back to London next week for informal discussions, with another round of official talks scheduled for 17 August onwards.
Mr Barnier said today that the bloc was prepared to negotiate “right until the 11th hour”, even though both sides wanted one done ahead of time.
