On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged that if there is no progress on a free trade deal between Brussels and London by 15 October, the UK will “move on”.
Reuters has cited two unnamed EU diplomats as saying that the UK’s intention to override parts of its Brexit divorce agreement will have far-reaching consequences.
They suggested that no one “would want to agree trade deals with a country that doesn’t implement international treaties”, something that the diplomat claimed “would be a desperate and ultimately self-defeating strategy”.
Johnson Urges EU, UK to ‘Move On’ if Trade Deal isn’t Clinched
The remarks come as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters earlier on Monday that if no free trade deal between the EU and the UK is concluded by 15 October, both sides should “accept that and move on”.
He expressed his country’s readiness for any possible outcome from the Brexit negotiations with the EU.
The UK prime minister added that London “cannot and will not compromise on the fundamentals of what it means to be an independent country to get it”, vowing at the same time that Britain’s “door will never be closed” and that the sides “will trade as friends and partners – but without a free trade agreement”.
He spoke after UK Brexit negotiator David Frost said on Sunday that he is not scared of a no-deal outcome, and that the sides are completely prepared for the scenario. “If we can reach an agreement that regulates trade like Canada’s, great. If we can’t, it will be an Australian-like trading agreement and we are fully ready for that”, he stressed.
The developments unfold as the eighth round of trade talks between the UK and the EU is set to begin in London later on Monday. The sides earlier agreed to a transition period until 31 December to negotiate bilateral trade terms post-Brexit.
Fishing rights remain the main sticking point in the negotiations, which were launched in early March, with the EU seeking to retain access to British waters in a bid to fish there.
Earlier this year, the EU’s chief negotiator insisted that a “new dynamism” is needed in the negotiations, while Frost argued that Brussels’ proposed deal “contains novel and unbalanced proposals which would bind this country to EU law or standards”.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
