Eighth round of negotiations begins on Tuesday, with progress crucial if the two sides are to reach an agreement
The Brexit negotiations will be over in days unless the EU realises Britain is serious about no-deal, government sources have warned
The eighth round of talks with Brussels begin on Tuesday, with progress crucial if the two sides are to finally reach an agreement.
It comes as the Telegraph reported on Saturday that the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is to be sidelined in a bid to break the deadlock.
But as the deadline on the discussions fast approaches, No 10 insiders say there will be no deal unless the bloc shows “more realism” on the “scale of the change that results from our departure”.
They have accused the EU of blindly “following a self-imposed doctrine of parallelism” without realising that what they are asking for is “completely at odds with what the British people voted for, twice”.
They also claim the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has been stalling progress by refusing the UK’s offer of allowing them to share a consolidated text with the 27 remaining member states.
A source close to the negotiations said: “We intensified the talks in July in order to reach a broad outline of an agreement this summer.
“Due to the EU’s repeated refusal to accept that in key areas we need to do things in our own way, reflecting our new status as a sovereign, independent country, those difficult discussions are ongoing.
“We now face a critical round of negotiations in London. We will continue to set out our reasonable arguments, which have remained the same since talks began in February - that we want an agreement based on precedent. It’s time the EU accepted that so we can move on.”
The source added that the EU needs to realise Britain is “serious” about leaving with an Australian-style free trading relationship if a deal cannot be struck.
“The whole Government has been extensively preparing to ensure that businesses and citizens are ready for the end of the transition period in any scenario,” the source added. “Outside the customs union, outside the single market and outside the EU.”
Last week, a leaked government document warned of “critical gaps” in new IT systems designed to get EU borders ready for post-Brexit trade when the transition period ends in four months time.
Yet government sources insist they are so serious about preparing for leaving on Australian terms on December 31 that work on readiness is being ramped up, with officials across departments working “at pace” on Britain’s preparedness.
A new No 10 Transition Hub has been created, drawing "the best and brightest" officials from across Whitehall. Situated directly above No 10's policy unit officials in 70 Whitehall, it is tasked with having a central grip on transition work, working closely with Michael Gove and the Cabinet Office. The new unit will be staffed by civil servants in the office, with the use of live data.
Boris Johnson has insisted that the UK will still "prosper mightily" whatever the outcome of the talks.
A Whitehall source said: “For four years now we have been clear that our sovereignty is non-negotiable – and our status as an independent country will not be compromised. This is what the British people voted for and is something we will deliver on 1 January 2021, regardless of the outcome of negotiations.”
It came as the UK's chief negotiator said the Government is not "scared" of walking away from talks with the European Union without a deal and vowed not to blink in the final phase.
Lord Frost told the Mail on Sunday the UK would not agree to being a "client state" to the EU over issues such as fishery rights and vetoes on laws.
He said: "We came in after a Government and negotiating team that had blinked and had its bluff called at critical moments and the EU had learned not to take our word seriously.
"So a lot of what we are trying to do this year is to get them to realise that we mean what we say and they should take our position seriously."
