UK and EU officials issue complex messaging on post-Brexit trade deal
As post-Brexit trade talks between the UK and the European Union (EU) reach make or break time, a leading British minister says outstanding differences “can be resolved” and a deal “can be done”.
Environment Secretary, George Eustice, claimed somewhat vaguely in an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr show that “agreement exists” between the two parties.
But hours earlier, in an interview with Sky News, Eustice struck a more pessimistic note by claiming that there is still some distance between the British and EU negotiating sides and that “time is very, very short”.
Also talking to Sky News was the Irish Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, who said it is vital that talks “make big progress” in the coming week.
Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday show, Coveney claimed that securing a post-Brexit trade agreement is “difficult but also very doable”.
On a more ominous note, Coveney said that the consequences of failure in the talks are “significant”.
The complex messaging of Eustice and Coveney comes ahead of the resumption of negotiations in Brussels on Monday (November 16).
The UK’s chief negotiator, Lord David Frost, who has already arrived in Brussels, tweeted that there had been “some progress in a positive direction in recent days”.
— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) November 15, 2020 ">http://
3/4 There has been some progress in a positive direction in recent days. We also now largely have common draft treaty texts, though significant elements are of course not yet agreed. We will work to build on these and get an overall agreement if we can.
— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) November 15, 2020
But echoing the complex messaging of Eustice and Coveney, Frost wrote that the two sides “may not succeed” in securing a lasting deal.
— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) November 15, 2020 ">http://
4/4 But we may not succeed. Either way, as the Prime Minister @BorisJohnson made clear on 16 October, people and businesses must prepare for the change that is coming on 31 December, most of which happens whether there is a deal or not.
— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) November 15, 2020
The Brexit transition period is set to expire on December 31, and absent a deal the UK and EU will be forced to trade on World Trade Organization terms.
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