Telegraph readers on Brexit trade talks: 'Don't give in now, Boris. You can't betray us'

Michel Barnier has insisted that Brexit trade talks are heading for a "moment of truth" ahead of Sunday's new deadline. Despite suggesting that that the possibility of a deal “is here”,  the EU's chief Brexit negotiator has warned that there is "very little time remaining, just a few hours."

With trade talks heading for a climatic finale, the Prime Minister has urged Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the EU Commission, to help clear the final Brexit hurdles.

After months of talks, limited breakthroughs and continued deadlock, which side will blink first? As fears grow that Boris Johnson could be set to compromise on key issues, Telegraph readers have had their say on what the PM should do next.

Read on to see what your fellow readers are predicting will happen this weekend and then share your own thoughts in the comments section below.

'One can only hope that the UK is stringing the EU along'

@Richard Lacey:

"It's very simple - the UK needs to completely break free of any EU regulation, oversight or control from the ECJ. This can only be achieved by a complete break with the EU, or 'no-deal'.

"Once that has been achieved then the UK and EU can consider what sort of agreement might be mutually beneficial in the future, but this is never going to mean accepting any EU control or oversight.

"One can only hope that the UK is stringing the EU along on the prospect of a deal, or it's just an exercise in trying to avoid the perception that the UK is to blame for 'no-deal' when that is actually the objective."

'Don't betray the British people'

@L Cawley:

"The PM is suppose to be the guardian of our sovereignty, he has been entrusted by millions of working class people alone to finally regain our sovereignty.

"They didn't want to be a mere state in the United States of Europe our forefathers would turn in their grave at the thought of surrendering our much loved and hard fought for sovereignty.

"Unless the EU surrenders to us it has to be no-deal, that was always the true meaning of Brexit.

"Fudge it and another Tory PM is added to Heath, Major and indeed May who betrayed the general public who voted for them."

'An extension is dangerous'

@Feargal Duffy:

"The UK Government is playing another very reckless game. Running a real risk of the very worst possible scenario that could cause catastrophic short term damage.

"This zombie economy scenario is that Jan 1 comes and there is either a deal in place but unratified or there is no deal in place but talks are continuing.

"If this happens then in certain areas, the ones most effected by the WTO tariffs, will cease because why buy or sell if there is an expectation that just around the corner transactions can be conducted tariff free.

"So if the talks break off for a Christmas break, this short term situation will mean Brexit gets off to the very worst start. Off course if a sensible extension to the transition period was agreed then there is no problem."

'Pull your socks up'

@Paul Sheppard:

"All of this without an extension to the transition period that was being rammed down our throats at the start of the year.

"The UK's relationship with the EU is enormously complex, to the point that fisheries is a detail.  It cannot be beyond the whit of man to sort that out.

"Someone just tell these people to pull their socks up and get on with their jobs.  Lock them in a room and feed them through a window if necessary."

'The gloves must come off'

@Tim Brown:

"Please do not give in, Boris. You may have promised us a deal, but that was when there was a chance we thought the EU might play fair.

"The gloves must come off, otherwise the word 'sovereignty' loses its true meaning."

'Fishing was so important in 2016'

@Paul Selby: 

"Hold your nerve, Boris. No deal is better by far than a bad deal.

"Fishing was one of the most important issues for those voting Brexit, it is also important to me and I didn't vote to leave.

"You could give us a five year transition - but no more."

'Don't give in'

@Max:

"Don't give in. We want our sovereignty and waters back. You can do it, Boris!"

'This is your 1939 moment, Boris'

@B Williams:

"Boris, this is your 1939 moment, fight for our freedom, we will prosper in the end and be proud once again."

'No-deal is not sensible'

@Paula:

"Do you know there are thousands of UK hauliers who still don't know what is expected of them from Jan 1?

"But instead of extending talks to give business the space they need to recover from the pandemic, we thought hurtling towards no-deal was the best course of action."

'A cheap shot'

@Brenda Fenton:

"Do not trust the EU. I cannot believe that they think subsidies via Brussels don’t count. What a cheap shot.

"They have plundered our waters for 50 years and are not prepared to compromise!"

'Start leading'

@Sue Smith:

"Why is Boris finding it so hard to walk away? Stop this indulgence, and get a move on.

"We are no longer a member of the EU. They may be finding that difficult to accommodate but that is their problem, not ours.

"Time's up. Get back to the office, and start leading, rather than groveling."

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What do you think will happen during the final days of Brexit trade talks? Share your predictions in the comments section below.