Brexit discussion thread XII (Please read OP before posting)

Leroy42 wrote: »

Is there any point in an extension?

briany wrote: »

I'm always unclear on this bit - if no deal, then will NI still have the option to continue to observe EU regulations, which upholds the spirit of the GFA and keeps the Irish border open, subject to an assembly vote every 4 years?

In his statement at the end of the latest round of video-conference negotiations, Frost said: “We very much need a change in EU approach for the next round beginning on 1 June.

“In order to facilitate those discussions, we intend to make public all the UK draft legal texts during next week so that the EU’s member states and interested observers can see our approach in detail.

“The UK will continue to work hard to find an agreement, for as long as there is a constructive process in being, and continues to believe that this is possible.”

Barnier accused the UK of trying to pick and choose parts of the EU single market, dismissing the government’s claims that it is seeking a typical free-trade agreement.

“Every time we meet they say they would be happy to have a Canada-style agreement, but at the same time ... they ask for far more from us than is available under the Canadian model,” Barnier said, citing the UK’s desire for “virtually full freedom of movement” for short visits, maintenance of “existing arrangements” on electricity interconnection, as well as “broad and widespread” recognition of professional qualifications to enable British lawyers, accountants and auditors to work in the EU.

“We are not going to bargain away our European values to the benefit of the British economy,” Barnier said. “Economic and trading fair play is not for sale. It is not ‘a nice to have’, it is ‘a must have’.”

Ministers move coronavirus teams back to no‑deal Brexit planning
Civil servants dealing with the virus have been redeployed, but a new poll finds 49% of leave voters want more EU talks

Britain has increased planning for a no-deal Brexit as senior government figures said the UK was preparing to “walk away” from trade talks with Brussels in the next month unless the EU gives ground.

The government’s XO (exit operations) no-deal planning committee, chaired by Michael Gove, met twice in one week at the start of May and senior officials say it will now sit regularly to prepare for the prospect that no trade deal is struck.

In a clear signal of intent, civil servants who had been moved to deal with the coronavirus crisis have been sent back to work full-time on no-deal preparations.

“XO is moving to a more regular rhythm over the next week or so,” a source said.

David Frost, Britain’s chief negotiator, told the cabinet on Thursday that Britain needed to prepare for an Australian-style departure, the government’s code for trading on World Trade Organisation terms, from January.

The UK legally left the EU at the end of January but is locked in a transition period until December 31. Boris Johnson and his aides have repeatedly made clear that they will not seek an extension to this deadline and Frost told ministers last week that the EU was finally “absolutely clear that we will not extend”.

Last week a third round of talks between Frost and Michel Barnier, the EU’s negotiator, ended in deadlock as the UK would not accept EU demands for a level playing field that would bind Britain into EU regulations in perpetuity.

This week the UK will publish legal texts showing that the government is only demanding terms already offered to countries such as South Korea or Norway. But EU officials insist Britain’s size and proximity to the union means it needs to accept more European regulations.

Unless the EU changes tack, the UK is prepared to walk away from the talks, a senior No 10 figure privately revealed.

Under one proposal, Frost could play “bad cop”, leaving Johnson to swoop in as “good cop” later in the year to secure a deal. A cabinet minister said: “Boris told us he still thinks there will be a deal.”

But for the first time senior officials in Brussels — who have previously doubted that Britain would seek no-deal — believe that is the most likely outcome.

One senior EU official said there was “no political electricity” around the talks, and added: “I think that this government may indeed want to go for no deal. It’s politically not unattractive for a critical mass within this cabinet.”

The source suggested that Frost might be “more interested in a political career” or in “grandstanding than finding a solution”. He added: “If nothing moves then I suppose that both sides will go to no-deal planning.”

That outcome would not be popular with voters, according to a new poll which found that even 49% of leave voters back an extension to the transition period. Of those leave voters who want a delay, 57% said the government should extend the period by up to a year, while 43% said it should be extended indefinitely. The polling, commissioned by the cross-party pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain and Hope not Hate, reveals that among Conservative voters 48% support an extension to the transition period. Overall, 66% of people from all parties are in favour of a delay.

Naomi Smith, the chief executive of Best for Britain, described the government’s “extreme stance” on the issue as “deeply worrying”. She said: “The views of small-‘c’ conservative voters in our data is telling. It’s patronising to suggest they would punish the government at the ballot box for prioritising the country’s health over an arbitrary exit date.”

The former Tory cabinet ministers Lord Heseltine, Dominic Grieve and Stephen Dorrell united yesterday to call on the government to extend the transition period. They have each recorded video messages for the European Movement.

Enzokk wrote: »

I have heard Gove and other say this before, the UK is only looking for a deal similar to the one Canada got. But Barnier says this is not what the UK is asking for but instead it seems like they are asking for so much more than just a Canada deal. I guess we don't know because they haven't released the texts of their positions yet so we don't know exactly their positions are yet.