Trade talks with Europe are over: British PM

Britain on Friday said there was no point in holding any more Brexit talks without a dramatic softening of the EU’s position, bringing a potentially nasty divorce at the end of the year a step closer.   

Prime Minister Boris Johnson responded after a European Union summit Thursday proposed a fresh round of talks next week in London, while demanding Britain give ground on key stumbling blocks.   

 “As far as we’re concerned the trade talks are over,” Johnson’s official spokesman told reporters.   

Britain wants to reassert sovereignty over its waters and refuse EU legal oversight over any deal, insisting it wants an overarching trade deal of the kind the EU adopted with Canada in 2017.   

Brussels in turn stresses that Britain’s economy is far more integrated with the EU’s than Canada’s, and that its single market must be protected from backsliding on regulation or state aid in Britain.   

At their Brussels summit, EU leaders demanded Britain compromise on fair trade rules to unblock the stalled post-Brexit talks.   
-LONDON AFP Oct16, 2020