Boris Johnson warns EU chief that ‘time is running out’ for trade deal

Boris Johnson set an October 15 deadline to decide whether a post-Brexit trade deal is possible, as the UK and the EU agreed to ‘step up’ the talks.

The prime minister told commission chair Ursula von der Leyen that “time is running out” to break the deadlock on fishing rights and state aid rules.

Amid fears that Brussels is trying to run out of time to secure concessions, Johnson made clear in a phone call last night that Britain is ready to negotiate on “Australian” terms, without any set framework.

Unless the structure of a deal has emerged before the EU leaders’ summit on October 15, the UK has threatened to walk away and focus on preparing for that outcome.

The disputes and rhetoric have intensified in recent weeks as the watershed moment of trade discussions looms. The ‘stalled’ transition period will end on January 1, whether there is an agreement or not.

Boris Johnson (pictured last week) and Ursula Von Der Leyen ‘took stock’ of progress in the tense negotiations in a call yesterday.

On Friday, UK chief negotiator Lord Frost dampened hopes of a breakthrough, warning that the standoff could be “impossible to salvage”.

Although he said the “broad lines” of an agreement had been clear for a while, the EU “needs to move further” and there was a significant gap in fisheries.

His counterpart Michel Barnier admitted that tensions persist over fisheries, governance and state aid. “To reach an agreement, these divergences must necessarily be overcome in the coming weeks,” he said.

“I am concerned that there is very little time now to solve these problems before the European Council on October 15.”

However, other signs have been more positive. Angela Merkel said she believed there was a “constructive path” to a resolution.

If they can see a path, the two sides could decide to enter “the tunnel”, an intensive phase of negotiations in which both sides work on the same legal text in the middle of a top secret.

In a joint statement following a phone call between Johnson and von der Leyen last night, the two sides said: “ They agreed on the importance of finding an agreement, if possible, as a solid basis for an EU-UK strategy. relationship in the future.

They supported the assessment by the two lead negotiators that progress had been made in recent weeks but that significant gaps remained, particularly but not only in the areas of fisheries, level playing field and governance.

“They instructed their top negotiators to work hard to try to bridge those gaps.

“They agreed to speak regularly on this topic.”

According to the Sunday Times, Johnson made it clear that the UK will drop out of the talks unless a deal is completed by October 15. The process could continue beyond that point if only details remain to be clarified.

Ms Von der Leyen tweeted that they had a ‘good phone call’.

After a meeting of EU leaders last week, Ms Merkel pointed to the UK’s recent deal with Norway on fishing rights.

‘The agreement with Norway is at least an indication that [the British] We are on a constructive path and I would not interpret it as bad news for us, but as a sign that agreements can be reached, ”he told the press.

Both sides will continue trade talks this week.

It comes despite von der Leyen dramatically confirming last week that the EU is taking legal action against the UK for violating the terms of the divorce terms in the Withdrawal Agreement.

Brussels had given Downing Street until the end of September to scrap the prime minister’s controversial proposals that are included in the UK’s internal market bill.

But the UK government refused to budge and Ms Von der Leyen said this morning that the bloc has started legal proceedings as a result.

It has sent a ‘formal notification letter’ to Number 10, which is the first step in the so-called ‘infringement procedure’ that could ultimately result in a fine in Britain, although how it could be enforced is unclear. The sanction.

Lord Frost (left) and Michel Barnier (right) will continue trade talks this week and up until a summit of bloc leaders on October 15-16.

Downing Street has defended its approach.

“We have made clear our reasons for introducing the measures related to the Northern Ireland Protocol,” said a government spokesman.

“We need to create a legal safety net to protect the integrity of the UK internal market, ensure that ministers can always fulfill their obligations to Northern Ireland and protect the benefits of the peace process.”