'We may not succeed', says UK's chief Brexit trade negotiator
The UK’s chief negotiator has warned “we may not succeed” in securing a Brexit trade deal as he made a surprise arrival in Brussels for renewed talks.
Lord Frost signalled that he would not be deviating from Boris Johnson’s “red lines” amid speculation that the departure of Dominic Cummings from No 10 could herald concessions.
He said there had been “some progress in a positive direction” but admitted there were still “significant” differences between the UK and EU on fishing and the level playing field.
His tone was echoed by Simon Coveney, the Irish Foreign Minister, who said a deal was “very doable” but also “very difficult” and could be scuppered by deadlock over fishing, with the EU demanding 50 per cent of the catch in British waters and the UK sticking at 20 per cent.
Mr Coveney also repeated the EU’s warning that it would not ratify any deal unless clauses in the Internal Market Bill overriding the Brexit divorce terms were dropped, although he also suggested that issue will “disappear” if there is a wider trade deal.
He said the negotiations were in a critical “move” week when both sides needed to “dial down the rhetoric” and find a middle ground, at least in principle, although sources in London suggested talks could still continue into next week.
The arrival of Lord Frost in Brussels underlined the efforts to accelerate progress although in a series of tweets he cautioned: "We are working to get a deal, but the only one that's possible is one that is compatible with our sovereignty and takes back control of our laws, our trade, and our waters.
“That has been our consistent position from the start and I will not be changing it.
"There has been some progress in a positive direction in recent days. We also now largely have common draft treaty texts, though significant elements are of course not yet agreed. We will work to build on these and get an overall agreement if we can.
"But we may not succeed. Either way, as the Prime Minister made clear on 16 October, people and businesses must prepare for the change that is coming on 31 December, most of which happens whether there is a deal or not."
George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, made clear the government was still prepared to walk away if necessary as he played down the impact of the dramatic departure by Mr Cummings, one of the most hardline Brexiteers in No 10.
He said the EU was “still some way” from the UK on fishing, adding that the EU appeared to believe that it should have “eternal access” to UK waters which was a “difficult sticking point".
He said the UK could not be the “only country in the world that doesn’t control its own waters” and said the Government would go ahead with re-inserting the law-breaking clauses in the internal market bill despite the EU’s complaints.
But he said there did need to be “headlines” of a trade agreement this week. “There does come a point frankly where businesses need to know what they are preparing for,” he told Sky News' Ridge on Sunday. “This needs to be a week where things move.”
Asked if the deal could fall down over fishing, he replied: “Yes, it could,” but warned the UK could not agree every other aspect of a trade deal and then expect the EU not to collapse the deal over an outstanding problem on fishing.
“That’s a negotiating tactic that won’t work,” he said. “Like everything here, this is about a middle ground position. It’s about give and take.”
Backbenchers are said to have contacted No 10 warning that they will not countenance a "fudge."
Steve Baker, a former Brexit minister and former chair of the European Research Group, said: "If Boris does what I expect him to, which is to stand firm on Brexit, solve Covid-19, and renew relations with backbenchers, then 2020 could be a very happy year indeed."
