UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal 'still possible', says UK negotiator
Nov 27, 2020
London [UK], November 27 (ANI/Sputnik): UK chief negotiator David Frost said on Friday, ahead of resuming face-to-face talks with his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, this weekend in London, that a UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal was "still possible" and that he would keep negotiating until there was proof to the contrary.
"Some people are asking me why we are still talking. My answer is that it's my job to do my utmost to see if the conditions for a deal exist. It is late, but a deal is still possible, and I will continue to talk until it's clear that it isn't," Frost wrote on Twitter, adding that he is looking forward to welcoming Barnier and his team to London.
The UK government official stressed, however, that for a deal to be reached, it must fully respect UK sovereignty by giving London back control over the country's borders and fishing waters, and the subsidies.
The United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, but as part of the withdrawal agreement, both sides entered an 11-month transition period to negotiate their future commercial relations.
Trade talks have been at an impasse for months over wide divergences over fishing quotas, the level-playing field -- the set of common rules and standards designed to prevent businesses in one country from undercutting their rivals in other countries -- and governance.
Earlier on Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted that substantial differences remain over the elusive post-Brexit trade deal, but warned that the "likelihood" of a deal highly depends on the EU.
If no trade deal is secured before the year's end, the World Trade Organization's rules will come into effect starting in 2021, including customs tariffs and full border checks for UK goods going across the English Channel. (ANI/Sputnik)
