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The German chancellor has been touted by government sources to break the deadlock in UK fisheries talks after the French president has been accused of taking an “egregious” stance on deadlocked talks. Fishing has been a major point of contention in the negotiations between the UK and the EU, and the UK wants more control over its own waters in the face of EU concerns over its trawling industry. It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the UK to prepare for a no-deal deal after blaming the EU for failing to make progress in the negotiations. Johnson is also believed to be awaiting the results of next week’s US elections before committing to making a decision on a no-deal Brexit.
The UK has proposed an agreement with the EU on fishing similar to Norway, which would see the fishing quotas for the bloc agreed annually.
But sources close to the negotiations have claimed that Brussels negotiators “have not moved at all” on the issue of fishing under pressure from France.
A Whitehall source has told the Telegraph that the government hopes Merkel will convince France to back down, saying: “We are relatively optimistic, but that does not mean it will not end in tears.
“Fishing is the most important thing. We hope Merkel can unblock Macron in fishing. “
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It follows Macron by promising to squander any deal with the UK that “sacrifices” French fishermen’s access to British waters.
He tweeted: “Only one goal: to defend and protect the interests of fishermen. We are fighting … for French fishing. “
Bruno Cautrès, a political analyst at think tank Cevipof, has pointed out that Macron faces opposition from other EU leaders such as Merkel to his hard-line stance on fisheries.
He added: “It would be very difficult for Macron to veto an agreement if France is isolated in the EU.
“This issue is particularly important for France, but not for all member states.”
It comes as UK government sources have claimed that there is “light at the end of the tunnel” on other issues that have delayed a deal, such as state aid.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis also praised the decision by Michel Barnier, the EU’s top negotiator, to extend his stay in the UK until Wednesday.
He said: “The fact that Michel Barnier has signaled in the last week that they are going to come back and do these intensive negotiations, he recognizes that the EU must move, and that it will stay until next week, is totally a very good sign.
“I think there is a good chance that we can reach an agreement, but I think the EU must understand that they too must move.”
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The renewed optimism from UK sources comes after Johnson claimed last week that a no-deal Brexit was likely.
A spokesman for the prime minister said that without a “fundamental shift in approach” by the EU, there would be no more trade and security talks.
The spokesperson added: “The trade talks are over; the EU effectively ended them yesterday when they said they did not want to change their negotiating position.”
European leaders disagreed, with Ursula von Der Leyen, president of the European Commission, tweeting: “The EU continues to work towards a deal, but not at any price. As planned, our negotiating team will travel to London next week to intensify these negotiations.
Leading European figures have also stated that they believe Johnson is awaiting the results of the US elections before deciding whether to carry out a no-deal Brexit.
Ivan Rogers, UK Permanent Representative in Brussels from 2013 to 2017, told the Observer: “Several high-level sources in capitals have told me that they believe Johnson will wait for the outcome of the presidential election to be clarified before finally deciding whether to move to ‘no deal’ with the EU, or to conclude that this is too risky with Biden addressing the White House and therefore living with a very suboptimal free trade agreement. “
Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate for the United States, has previously stated that he would not seek a trade deal with the United Kingdom if he is found to have damaged the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement.
Lewis said, defending the controversial Internal Market bill: “We absolutely protect and abide by the Good Friday Agreement. It’s absolutely key. “
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