Johnson says Britain should prepare for final no-deal break with Brussels

Boris Johnson said his judgment was that the UK should prepare for an Australia-style deal in the EU trade talks. Picture: Downing Street /PA Wire

Boris Johnson has said that unless there is a “fundamental change of approach” from the EU, Britain is prepared to move to trading on World Trade Organisation rules when the Brexit transition period ends.

The British prime minister said this week’s EU summit in Brussels has made clear the EU is not prepared to offer the kind of Canada-style deal the UK is seeking.

“They want the continued ability to control our destiny and freedom, our fisheries, in a way that is completely unacceptable,” he said.

“Given that this summit appears to explicitly rule out a Canada-style deal, I think that we should ready for January 1 with arrangements that are more like Australia’s.” Mr Johnson had previously said that if there was no agreement by the time of the two-day summit, which began on Thursday, he would walk away from the negotiating table.

Mr Johnson’s announcement came after the summit conclusions agreed on Thursday called on the UK to make the “necessary moves to make an agreement possible”.

"I've concluded we should get ready for January 1 with arrangements that are more like Australia's"

PM Boris Johnson says the EU summit seems to have ruled out a Canada-style deal - based on free trade - for the UK https://t.co/JAKK6Em9ge pic.twitter.com/aqqV1yEx21

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) October 16, 2020

The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he is ready to travel to London on Monday to continue the negotiations.

Following Mr Johnson’s statement, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that visit will still go ahead as planned.

“The EU continues to work for a deal, but not at any price,” she tweeted.

“As planned, our negotiation team will go to London next week to intensify these negotiations.” Asked if he is now walking away from the negotiating table, Mr Johnson said: “What we are saying to them is, ‘Come here, come to us if there is some fundamental change of approach’.

“Otherwise we are more than happy to talk about the practicalities that I described – social security issues, road haulage and so on.

“But unless there is a fundamental change in approach, we are going to go for the Australia solution.

“And we should do it with great confidence – as I said, high hearts and confidence because we can do it.” In the run up to the summit, both sides had acknowledged significant differences remained over the issues of future fishing rights and state aid rules.

However few in Brussels believe Mr Johnson will simply walk away from the negotiating table.

Earlier, the Taoiseach said the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has been given the “necessary flexibility” to continue Brexit deal talks.

Speaking in Brussels, Micheál Martin said EU leaders had had “constructive” Brexit discussions on Thursday.

“We received a very good assessment on the sate of the negotiations from our chief negotiator Michel Barnier,” he said.

“He emphasised the need for mutual respect on these negotiations and I think he was given the necessary flexibility to continue with the negotiations on behalf of the EU Council to ensure a comprehensive, fair free trade deal between the UK and the European Union and that’s how we’d like to see things evolve now and in the future weeks to bring this to a conclusion.”

Mr Johnson added: “If there is a fundamental change in approach, then of course we are always willing to listen but it didn’t seem particularly encouraging from the summit in Brussels.”