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Ahead of the eighth and final round of talks with the EU scheduled for next week, Frost said Britain “does not intend to compromise its principles – the ability to control its laws.”
“We are not going to be clients of the state,” he said in a rare interview with the Mail on Sunday as negotiations with the Community were coming to an end.
“We are not going to make provisions that allow them to control our money or how we can organize things here in the UK. This should not be seen as controversial,” said Frost.
“That is what it means to be an independent country, that is what the British voted, and that is what will happen at the end of this year, whatever happens,” added the negotiator.
Britain officially left the EU in January, nearly four years after a landmark referendum to end the UK’s nearly 50 years of membership in the European Union.
But by the end of this year, the UK will be bound by the bloc’s rules until both parties try to agree on a future relationship.
Negotiations have stalled on a number of issues, including so-called equal treatment provisions, state aid and fishing rules.
There is little time left for both parties to reach an agreement, as the legal instruments have yet to be examined by the Member States and ratified by the European Parliament.
The stalemate has raised fears that Brexit could take place without a deal after December 31, in which case most trade would be governed by World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and tariffs.
However, Frost said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ministers “were not afraid” of such a scenario.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Boris Johnson
“If we can come to an agreement that regulates trade, as in the case of Canada, that’s great. If it fails, it will be like an Australian trade agreement and we are fully prepared for that,” he said.
Speaking for several years of preliminary negotiations, Frost said that the former UK government, led by former Prime Minister Theresa May, “blinked and revealed its deception during the crucial Brexit negotiations.” She promised not to repeat this mistake.
“One of the most important things that we are trying to do this year is for them to realize that we are speaking sincerely and that they must take our position seriously,” added the negotiator.
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