THE UK and European Union kick off crunch trade talks in Brussels today, but the huge divide between the two sides on a final deal makes it increasingly likely a no deal Brexit could be triggered in the summer.
Boris Johnson’s Europe adviser David Frost will arrive in Brussels with an army of negotiators to kick-start the nine-month process of trying to secure a new full free trade agreement with the European Union. Both sides have published their negotiating mandates, revealing huge disagreements between the UK and EU in several key areas. This has already set the scene for a no deal Brexit scenario as soon as the summer, according to one well placed Government insider speaking to Politico’s London Playbook.
The source claimed the strict mandate set for the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in trade talks lacks the flexibility needed to move towards the UK’s position.
They said: “It’s going to take one side to walk away and completely rethink its approach.”
Mr Johnson has threatened to walk away from talks with the EU in June if insufficient progress has been made, and the source believes that would be the more likely scenario, with Britain starting work on mitigation – including the use of state aid to keep the worst-affected companies afloat.
The source added: “All those dire economic forecasts do not incorporate the sort of action that would happen after June.”
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See Also:
(1) Barnier warns ‘very clever’ Boris the EU will ‘not be fooled’ by his tricks in trade talks
(2) Verhofstadt issues chilling EU warning – ‘Keys of Europe given away!’
(3) With his record, we are happy to be rid of ‘Sir Calamity’
(4) Brexit Britain’s economy to soar by £3.4bn a year under US trade deal
(5) Nicola Sturgeon suffers major blow as SNP’s Brexit negotiator announces he will step down
