“I think the people of this country have had enough,” said Boris Johnson (File)
London:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson doesn’t particularly want the Brexit transition period to end without a new trade deal in place, but believes Britain could live with such an outcome, he said Sunday.
As the end of the transition period on December 31 approaches, Johnson and EU Chief Executive Ursula von der Leyen agreed in a phone call on Saturday to step up negotiations on a post-Brexit deal.
“I think it’s here to be done,” Johnson said in a BBC television interview.
“Alas, there are difficult issues that need to be resolved, and there is no doubt that the EU needs to understand that we are dead serious about the need to monitor our own laws and regulations, and even they have to understand that the repatriation of British fisheries … is very important. “
When asked if he was concerned about the potential impact of a no-deal situation amid the COVID pandemic, Johnson said: “I don’t want the Australian WTO-type outcome, in particular, but we can more than live with it.
“I think the people of this country are tired … of being told it will be impossible or intolerable. I think we can prosper mightily under these circumstances.”
Last week, the government told importers and exporters that they would have to go through additional paperwork whether there is an agreement or not, and a lack of preparation on their part could lead to queues of 100 km of trucks.
This prompted the opposition to accuse ministers of setting up the industry to take responsibility for any chaos that may follow a botched Brexit.
The EU says any deal must be sealed before the end of October, or at the latest in the early days of November, to allow enough time for the bloc’s ratification before the end of the year.
Further trade talks are scheduled for London next week and Brussels the following week before the 27 EU national leaders meet from October 15-16 to assess progress. London has also said it wants to clarify by Oct. 15 whether or not a deal is possible.
It is estimated that a trillion euros ($ 1.17 trillion) in annual trade would be at stake if they fail to reach a deal.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
