UK ‘brinkmanship’ risks ending chances of Brexit deal, Barnier claims
Government’s down-to-the-wire negotiating strategy dubbed 'a recipe for disaster'
Britain’s brinkmanship in negotiations could pave the way to a no-deal Brexit, the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has warned.
Speaking to national ambassadors in Brussels, Barnier said that “very serious divergences” remain between the EU and UK’s positions on fisheries, governance and trade, Reuters says.
An unnamed EU diplomat told the news agency that “the UK does not seem to be engaging sufficiently on key issues... given this situation a no-deal outcome still can’t be excluded”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The EU fears Lord David Frost, Barnier’s British counterpart, is “keeping the most politically sensitive dossiers” of the talks “open to create leverage”, The Times reports.
Negotiations resume in London on Sunday, with Johnson and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen expected to meet for crunch talks if an agreement is not reached by the end of next week.
Ratifying any deal could take up to six weeks, so both sides are keen to agree terms by November 16 in order to honour the December 31 deadline. However, according to the Financial Times, Barnier told MEPs in a separate meeting this week that the two parties are not “on a trajectory for a deal”.
Barnier cited the unwillingness of British negotiators to budge on topics like “non-regression” from labour and environmental standards, viewed by insiders as one of the easier level-playing-field issues, the FT adds.
In a tweet, Frost yesterday said: “Progress made, but I agree with Michel Barnier that wide divergences remain on some core issues. We continue to work to find solutions that fully respect UK sovereignty.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published