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Updated 3 hours ago
DOWNING STREET HAS said that a no-deal Brexit was a “possible” outcome of the EU trade talks, indicating that there has been some improvement since Boris Johnson said it was the “most likely” scenario yesterday.
“Obviously, not reaching an agreement is a possible outcome, as the Prime Minister himself has said,” Johnson’s official spokesman said.
“But we have been clear that we will continue working and we hope to reach a free trade agreement.”
Johnson and EU chief Ursula van der Leyen pledged yesterday to “go the extra mile” by setting aside a self-imposed cutoff point to end talks if no progress is made towards a pact.
EU negotiator Michel Barnier noted this morning that there was a “narrow path” to a trade deal with Britain.
An EU diplomat said after a Barnier briefing that “there could now be a narrow path to a visible deal – negotiators can overcome the remaining hurdles in the coming days.”
“There has been some progress in the negotiations in recent days, but sometimes substantial gaps still need to be bridged in important areas such as fisheries, governance and a level playing field,” said the diplomat.
An EU source said there had been “fragile” progress.
Barnier was exposing the situation to the ambassadors of the EU member states in Brussels this morning.
The ongoing talks have fueled speculation that Parliament may be forced to sit down during the holiday period to vote on any deal.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was hopeful that negotiators can reach an agreement in the coming days, but that significant challenges remain on key points.
“I am hopeful, but I do not want to underestimate the significant challenges facing both the UK and EU sides on this level playing field and on the issue of fisheries. These are significantly difficult issues, ”he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland program.
You are right, the actual deadline is New Years Eve, but I think both parties are very interested in the need to get results from these negotiations in the coming days.
Former whip boss Mark Harper, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour, said: “It depends on when it ends, but many of us are fully anticipating that it is quite possible that we will return to Parliament between Christmas and New Years to discuss this and vote on it. if a deal is made. “
Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show that Labor was “willing” to vote in favor of a deal in a sign that, if consensus were reached in Brussels, the terms Any future relationship with Britain’s largest trading partner would face little opposition from Parliament.
‘Most likely scenario’
Comments from Downing Street this morning appear more positive than yesterday’s stance when Johnson continued to warn that a no-deal outcome was still the most likely scenario.
He said yesterday that the country should prepare for the breakdown of the talks, which will result in tariffs under the terms of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from January 1, a measure that is expected to cost jobs, make for food prices to rise and wipe £ 45bn out of the economy next year.
“Most likely now, of course, we have to prepare for the terms of the WTO, the terms of Australia,” said the Prime Minister of the UK.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Source: Xinhua News Agency / PA Images
The agreement to keep talking beyond yesterday’s deadline set by Johnson and von der Leyen indicates that progress can still be made.
The couple agreed “to continue as long as they still think a deal is possible,” a UK source said.
A joint statement issued by the two leaders said: “Our negotiating teams have been working around the clock for the past few days.
“And despite the exhaustion after nearly a year of negotiations, despite the deadlines being missed over and over again, we believe that at this point it is responsible to go the extra mile.”
After updating the cabinet on his talks with the head of the commission, Johnson told reporters that the UK would be “as creative as possible” in seeking a deal, but stressed that there were fundamentals that could not be compromised, like “being able to control our laws, control our fisheries.”
“I think our friends understand it, and we remain willing to talk and will continue to do so,” he added.
The main sticking points in the negotiations, as they have been for months, are fishing rights and the “level playing field” as Brussels wants to prevent unfair competition from the UK from undermining EU rules and state subsidy rules .
Johnson has said that no prime minister could accept a situation in which the EU can automatically “punish” the UK if it does not follow future Brussels regulations.
If that “ratchet clause” is diluted, there could be a possibility of a deal: the UK side has already indicated that it will not back down from existing EU standards on issues such as workers’ rights and environmental protection.
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The Times reported that chief negotiators Lord Frost and Michel Barnier are discussing what role independent arbitration might play in resolving disputes in a potential sign that a compromise could be in the offing.
The couple will continue to speak today in Brussels.
In terms of fishing rights, the dispute over the access that EU trawlers would have to UK waters increased dramatically over the weekend, with Royal Navy ships waiting to patrol the seas around Great Britain. Britain if there is no agreement.
Despite his conversations with Ms Von der Leyen in recent days, the prime minister remains frustrated that he has not been able to speak directly to key EU national leaders, including Angela Merkel of Germany and Emmanuel Macron of France.
Brussels insists the commission is leading the negotiations on behalf of the 27 member states, so Johnson should continue to deal with von der Leyen.
With AFP report.
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