Brexit: Boris Johnson signals no deal increasingly likely

UK PM Boris Johnson has admitted the UK is currently heading for a no-deal Brexit, with an agreement now “very difficult” as the two sides dig in and refuse to compromise.

In a new gloomy summary of the state of the talks, No 10 described a deal as only “still possible” – with a strong attack on the EU’s failure to give ground.

“An agreement is still possible and this is still our goal, but it is clear it will not be easy to achieve,” the prime minister’s spokesperson said.

He confirmed Brussels was refusing to discuss British proposals on future fishing quotas until it had received a state aid plan – something London has so far refused to set out.

The stance made it “very difficult to make progress”, with just weeks to find a solution to avoid a crash-out Brexit on 1 January and massive disruption, he warned.

Although government sources are playing down the idea of the UK walking away without a breakthrough, they agree a deal must be struck by the European Council summit in mid-October.

David Frost, Britain’s chief negotiator, and Michel Barnier, his EU counterpart, were holding informal talks in London on Tuesday, but with little apparent hope of reviving the negotiations.

Brussels has also ruled out detailed talks on fish without UK concessions on quota sharing, to enable EU boats to continue to catch in British waters. The Downing Street spokesperson pointed to the EU’s insistence on “continuity in state aid” as the key stumbling block – but said the UK’s proposals would only be published “in due course”.

“The EU continues to insist that we must agree on difficult areas in the negotiations, such as state aid, before any work can be done in any other areas,” the spokesperson said.

With just weeks to the council summit, he admitted: “Time is short for both sides.”

He played down a dramatic intervention by the prime minister, saying: “The negotiations are being conducted by David Frost and Michel Barnier.”

Source: TheIndependent