UK’s Brexit negotiator says government is not scared of no-deal exit

The UK’s chief negotiator has said the government is not scared of walking away from talks with the European Union without a deal and vowed not to blink in the final phase.
David Frost is due to hold another round of key negotiations in London with his counterpart, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, next week as they look to agree a trade deal before autumn sets in.

In a bullish interview with the Mail on Sunday (MoS), the prime minister’s Europe sherpa said the UK was preparing to leave the transition period “come what may” – even if that meant exiting with no deal, which officials have dubbed an “Australian-style” arrangement.

“That’s what being an independent country is about, that’s what the British people voted for and that’s what will happen at the end of the year, come what may,” Frost added.

The MoS reported that Downing Street has created a transition hub, with handpicked officials across government departments working to ensure the UK is ready to trade without a deal when the transition period ceases on 1 January 2021.

The unit will work with the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, who has led the government’s work on no-deal preparations since last year. “Obviously, lots of preparation was done last year, we are ramping up again and have been for some time under Michael Gove’s authority,” Frost said.

“I don’t think that we are scared of this at all. We want to get back the powers to control our borders and that is the most important thing.

“If we can reach an agreement that regulates trade like Canada’s, great. If we can’t, it will be an Australian-like trading agreement and we are fully ready for that.”
His comments came as the EU sought to dismiss a report in the Telegraph that Barnier would be “sidelined” before the talks were over so European leaders could thrash out a deal before the deadline.

But bloc spokesman Sebastian Fischer tweeted on Saturday: “Whoever wants to engage with the EU on Brexit needs to engage with Michel Barnier.

“He is the EU’s Brexit chief negotiator and enjoys the full trust, support and confidence of the EU 27. He has a proven track record of leading successful Brexit negotiations on behalf of the EU.”

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Source: TheGuardian