No-deal Brexit can’t be ruled out but not in UK’s interest, says French minister
A senior French official said that she could not rule out the UK’s post-Brexit trade talks with the EU ending without a deal, but said it would be in Britain’s interest to reach an agreement.
“I am not ruling out anything,” junior european affairs minister Amelie de Montchalin said, when asked if she could rule out a no-deal Brexit.
“Those who need a deal the most are the British. They cannot withstand a second shock after the epidemic,” the minister told Europe 1 radio.
They wouldn’t have access to the security net that is Europe, they wouldn’t have access to the stimulus fund,” she added, alluding to the economic hit to European states caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Britain left the EU on 31 January but talks on future relations have so far made little progress. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU leaders say a deal is achievable, but both sides say time is running out and the prospect of no-deal remains.
A transition period during which Britain remains in the EU’s customs union and single market expires at the end of the year and the PM has ruled out extending it.
Johnson told visiting French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday that talks on a post-Brexit deal cannot stretch on into the autumn.
“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,” a Downing Street spokesperson said after the meeting between the two leaders.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday that Britain does not “want to hang around” for a trade deal and will not “wait for this to be dragged out into the autumn and the winter”.
“We will not yield to this deadline pressure, this final sprint that Britain want to impose on us in the hope we will cave in. We do not want a deal for the sake of having a deal but we want a balanced deal,” Montchalin said this morning.
An internal document obtained by Reuters this week showed the German government is urging other EU states to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, casting doubt on Johnson’s public optimism about chances of an early agreement on future ties.