Boris Johnson tells Emmanuel Macron that Brexit talks cannot stretch into autumn
Boris Johnson has told French president Emmanuel Macron that it makes no sense to extend post-Brexit trade talks into the autumn.
The two leaders met today in Downing Street to mark the 80th anniversary of French president Charles de Gaulle’s wartime BBC broadcast to Nazi-occupied France.
After the commemoration, which included a flypast by the Red Arrows, the two leaders discussed the UK’s ongoing trade negotiations with the EU.
A statement from Downing Street said: “The Prime Minister welcomed the agreement to intensify talks in July and underlined that the UK does not believe it makes sense for there to be prolonged negotiations into the autumn”.
Johnson’s words came after foreign secretary Dominic Raab today told LBC radio that Britain would not wait around for a trade deal, warning that negotiators were prepared to walk away.
Raab said that the UK does not “want to hang around” and will not “wait for this to be dragged out into the autumn and the winter”.
A source from Macron’s office told Reuters that the president had reaffirmed his commitment to reaching a deal on Brexit.
It said: “France reminded its commitment to a deal and its support of (EU negotiator) Michel Barnier”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chiefs met on Monday to discuss the state of negotiations, with both sides agreeing that “more momentum was needed”.
Particularly contentious areas have been EU access to UK fishing waters, business competition regulations and the European Court of Justice’s role in governing a deal.
UK and EU negotiators will meet for a series of five consecutive week-long negotiating rounds beginning next month.
The UK has said it needs to know before the end of summer if a deal is possible, and will walk away in August and prepare for no-deal if need be.