Fishing rights must be on the table for trade deal, Barnier warns Britain

EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier
REUTERS
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Michel Barnier told Boris Johnson that Britain can have an “ambitious” trade deal with the EU — but warned that fishing rights must be on the table and European regulations will be applied in some areas.

The EU chief negotiator said any trade deal would be “less favourable” to the UK than the terms it enjoyed as a member of the European Union before Brexit took place on Friday.

He spoke out as the Prime Minister made a keynote speech setting out the UK position in talks on trade, security and other agreements.

Mr Johnson warned he would rather walk out of talks with no free trade deal than sign a treaty that tied the UK to EU regulations, including its so-called “level playing field” rules on fair competition.

Mr Johnson said Britain was “ready for the great multi-dimensional game of chess in which we engage in more than one negotiation at once”.

Boris Johnson
AP

Speaking to business leaders and ambassadors, he said trade teams would be in talks with the United States, the Commonwealth and “old friends” like Australia, New Zealand and Canada while negotiating with the EU.

“We want a thriving trade and economic relationship with the EU, our neighbours, our partners, our friends,” he said. “But are we going to insist that the EU does everything we do, as the price of free trade? Of course not.”

Mr Johnson argued that British standards on the environment and worker rights already went further in some cases that the EU’s own standards. Therefore, he argued, there was no need to lay rules down in a treaty.

Mr Johnson is calling for a deal similar to Canada’s, despite a Treasury analysis suggesting it would reduce growth by 4.9 per cent over 15 years.

If that fails, he says he would settle for “Australian” terms, which would mean mainly World Trade Organisation rules and limited extra agreement in some sectors.

Mr Barnier was also playing hardball. He said: “The most ambitious partnership is the one that we had, because we were in the same union.”

He added: “When you are not a member of the European Union then ... your position is different and less favourable.”

Earlier he told French radio: “There will be no trade deal with the British if there is no reciprocal access deal for our fishermen ... I hope I make myself clear.”

He hit back at Government claims that the EU had reneged on an offer of a Canada-style deal by adding demands for level-playing field rules.

He said there should be “no surprise” at the EU position which was long established.

“This will be the key, basically, to opening up our markets, including markets in services,” he said.

The European Commission’s draft negotiating mandate called for a single package with three components: general arrangements, economic arrangements and security arrangements.

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