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As negotiations on a trade deal between the UK and the EU will continue overnight, a British government source has said that “as it stands, the EU offer on the table remains unacceptable” .
Both parties now recognize that a no-deal outcome is more likely than not when talks end on Sunday and Royal Navy gunboats are ready to patrol UK waters to prevent illegal fishing should no deal be reached Brexi January 1st.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von de Leyen are expected to continue speaking tomorrow.
The government source said: “The talks continue overnight, but as things stand, the offer on the EU table remains unacceptable.”
“The prime minister will leave no stone unturned in this process, but it is absolutely clear: any agreement must be fair and respect the fundamental position that the UK will be a sovereign nation in three weeks.”
It comes as Boris Johnson was accused of “irresponsible” behavior similar to that of an “English nationalist” after Royal Navy gunboats were readied to patrol UK waters to prevent illegal fishing in the event of a no-deal Brexit. .
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Boris Johnson says a no-deal outcome “seems very, very likely.”
Reciprocal access to the waters will end next year, although Brussels has asked that the current terms continue for 12 months, a request that appears to have been rejected.
The Defense Ministry has confirmed that four armed 80-meter vessels are on standby to protect British waters from European trawlers if there is no new Brexit deal on fishing rights after December 31, when the transitional arrangements end.
Reports have suggested that UK military helicopters will also be available next year and that ministers are looking to increase the powers that authorize the navy to board ships and arrest fishermen.
France shrugged off the plans as an Elysee official told Reuters news agency “keep calm and carry on”, citing the British slogan of the war in response to London’s decision to assign the gunships.
They declined to comment further.
The Royal Navy has been put on standby to protect the UK’s fishing grounds
Tobias Ellwood, Conservative Chairman of the Commons Defense Committee, expressed his disgust at the threat to deploy the navy, adding that the UK’s enemies will “laugh at us” as the country faces a NATO ally.
Meanwhile, former Conservative Cabinet Minister Lord Patten accused Johnson of behaving like an “English nationalist”.
The decision to prepare the navy, which will likely be read as a warning in Brussels on fishing rights, comes after Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned of significant differences between London and Brussels. in business negotiations.
Johnson chaired a meeting with senior UK officials on Friday night to assess the situation.
Former Defense Minister Mr. Ellwood told Sky News: “Here we are, these unworthy reports suggesting that our overburdened navy will take on our NATO ally over the rights of fishing vessels, at the same time as under the surface of that water we have increased the activity of Russian submarines and Russian drones.
“Our opponents must be laughing at us and we have to come back to the table, focus on what is important in these last 24-48 hours.
Fishing rights are a stumbling block in negotiations
Lord Patten told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he feared for the future of the UK under Johnson’s presidency.
The former Conservative President and European Commissioner said: “Although I hope for the best, I fear the worst because it is very, very difficult to see what the plan is, how are we going to do it so brilliantly when we are out of this ‘cage’ of Europe, that for Of course we helped build because the main builder of the single market was Margaret Thatcher. “
French MEP Pierre Karleskind, chairman of the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee, called for the rhetoric behind the reports to calm down.
He told Times Radio: “Let’s keep calm. Let’s stay calm.
“I was looking at a history book. The creation of the French Royal Navy took place in 1294 in response to naval battles between French and English fishermen. So this is a very, very long history between our two nations.
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“You’re saying it’s about fish, but let’s think for just a few seconds. Do you really think it’s just about fish that are and will be used by Navy ships? I don’t.”
Trade talks remain stalled on fishing rights and the so-called level playing field, amid fears that the UK is tied to future EU standards.
However, other conservatives have called for tougher action, with Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski tweeting on Friday that naval forces should be deployed in the New Year “to prevent illegal French fishing in our waters.”
Admiral Lord West, the former chief of naval staff, also said he agreed with the Royal Navy being used to protect UK waters from foreign fishing vessels without a deal.
Describing the nuts and bolts, Lord West told Today: “There are complications in the fact that you can push the boats aside, you can cut your fishing tackle, but when boarding these foreign boats, a little thing will probably have to happen by Parliament to give authority to board and get on them. “
Ursula von der Leyen recognized the issue of fishing
Ursula von der Leyen confirmed on Friday that the two parties “have not yet found the solutions to bridge our differences” on fisheries.
He urged the government to “understand the legitimate expectations of the EU fishing fleets based on decades, and sometimes centuries, of access.”
Johnson said he was “hopeful” that progress can be made.
Chief Trade Negotiators Michel Barnier and Lord Frost will talk over the weekend in Brussels.
Meanwhile, sections of the M20 were closed overnight while a motorway test is being conducted as part of a “dress rehearsal” for possible post-Brexit traffic problems.
The plan, known as Operation Brock, is to ease congestion in Kent if traffic stalls due to disruption caused if the UK leaves the EU without a deal and there is no longer frictionless trade.
