Boris Johnson: no-deal Brexit now a 'strong
possibility'
PM says he cannot accept UK being ‘locked in EU’s
orbit’, but Tories urge him to strike deal
Heather
Stewart, Jessica Elgot and Lisa O'Carroll
Thu 10 Dec
2020 19.56 GMTFirst published on Thu 10 Dec 2020 18.20 GMT
Boris
Johnson has ordered ministers to prepare for the “strong possibility” of a
no-deal Brexit, warning that the UK risks being “locked in the EU’s orbit” as
senior Tories urge him to find an agreement.
After a three-hour
summit with the European commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, failed to
bridge major gaps between them, the prime minister said he was prepared to “go
the extra mile” by flying to Paris or Berlin for face-to-face talks with EU
leaders.
But he said
the EU’s current offer was unacceptable because the UK could not be treated
like its twin.
“It was put
to me that this was kind of a bit like twins, and the UK is one twin the EU is
another, and if the EU decides to have a haircut then the UK is going to have a
haircut or else face punishment. Or if the EU decides to buy an expensive
handbag then the UK has to buy an expensive handbag too or else face tariffs,”
he said.
“Clearly
that is not the sensible way to proceed and it’s unlike any other free trade
deal. It’s a way of keeping the UK kind of locked in the EU’s … regulatory
orbit.”
Johnson’s
language echoed his condemnation of Theresa May’s Brexit deal. After he
resigned as foreign secretary in 2018, he told that year’s Tory party conference
that Britain must not be “locked in the tractor beam of Brussels”.
He added on
Thursday: “I do think we need to be very, very clear. There is now a strong
possibility – a strong possibility – that we will have a solution that is much
more like an Australian relationship with the EU than a Canadian relationship
with the EU.”
Downing
Street said Johnson had overwhelming cabinet backing for his stance despite
official forecasts suggesting no deal would knock an extra 2% of GDP off an
economy already hit hard by the Covid crisis.
“What I
told the cabinet this evening is to get on and make those preparations. We’re
not stopping talks, we’ll continue to negotiate but looking at where we are I
do think it’s vital that everyone now gets ready for that Australian option,”
Johnson said.
The
Australian option is Johnson’s name for trading on World Trade Organization
terms with the EU, meaning tariffs being imposed on a wide range of goods.
Meanwhile,
lorry queues built up in Kent for the third day in a row, attributed to Brexit
stockpiling, Covid vaccine deliveries and Christmas traffic. Heavy congestion
is expected over the weekend with a live test of no-deal contingency plans.
Barriers
will be put in place to create a contraflow system as part of Operation Brock,
Kent’s longer-term contingency plan for Brexit gridlock. Similar plans known as
Operation Transmission are being prepared around Portsmouth international port.
Johnson’s
blunt statement came amid warnings from senior Conservatives that “the world is
watching” as Brexit negotiations enter their final phase. Some MPs said they
were discussing whether they could use parliamentary tactics to block a no-deal
exit.
After
Wednesday evening’s dinner between Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen ended at an
impasse with a new deadline set for Sunday, Tory MPs have become increasingly
concerned that the risk of a no-deal exit on 1 January is rising.
Tobias
Ellwood, the chair of the defence committee, said: “The world is watching this.
We are being marked for our international prestige, our statecraft and how we
deploy it. And what we lose will be huge.”
He pointed
to the security implications of a no-deal exit. “There will be economic
repercussions but also security ones. Our Channel waters are being buzzed by
Russian submarines, our airspace by Russian jets. We need alliances – and
Europe needs to stand and work together. This would be us turning the other
way, just as we assume the G7 presidency.”
The
European commission published its own no-deal contingency plans on Wednesday,
including allowing airlines from the UK to operate flights across its territory
and keeping roads open to British hauliers for six months – but only if the UK
reciprocates.
Under the
same terms, Brussels will also offer UK fishermen access to its seas and open
negotiations over quotas. Johnson’s spokesman appeared to suggest that would be
unacceptable, however, saying: “We would never accept arrangements and access
to UK fishing waters which are incompatible with our status as an independent
coastal state.”
The former
foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said a no-deal exit would be a “failure of
statecraft”, but he laid the blame on the EU for failing to understand the UK
position. “I still think that the Europeans are overestimating the political
space that Boris Johnson has on this,” he said. “That’s why I think it’s a very
perilous situation.”
Damian
Green, chair of the One Nation group of Tory MPs, said: “It has always been in
Britain’s best interest to leave on friendly terms, with a deal that allows
people and trade to flow as freely as possible. That is still true, even in
these last few days.”
The former
minister Stephen Hammond added: “Ending the year without a free trade agreement
would be bad for Britain and the EU. I really urge the negotiating teams to
find a solution – for the benefit of all the citizens of Europe.”
The former
cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell, a supporter of Johnson’s leadership campaign,
said it was vital every effort was made. “At this critical juncture, every
sinew must be stretched to secure a deal. Not at any price; the country voted
to leave and we are a proud independent nation.
“But no one
should be in any doubt of the economic consequences of proceeding without a
deal on 1 January next year.”
The shadow
Cabinet Office minister, Rachel Reeves, castigated the government for failing
to get agreement, urging the prime minister to take control of the negotiations
and “bring back a deal”.
.jpeg)
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário