'IN DENIAL'
Brexit talks turn fiery as UK ‘threatens to tear up withdrawal agreement’ and EU blasted as ‘not sensible’
BREXIT talks have turned fiery as the PM threatened to tear up parts of the Withdrawal Agreement and the EU was blasted as refusing to be "sensible".
As Boris Johnson warned EU bosses he was happy to quit negotiations in five weeks if they refuse to budge, the Environment Secretary slammed them for being "in denial" about Britain's future independence.
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George Eustice told BBC Breakfast: "(The EU) are in denial about what it means to be an independent coastal state."
The two sides are meeting in London from Tuesday for their eighth round of negotiations.
Mr Eustice added: "We believe when we leave the EU we want to be a bit like Norway and control access to our waters and control resources within that.
"The EU seems to be in denial about that, even though that is the legal default."
He slammed the bloc for refusing to engage in discussions, saying: "It's been difficult to engage in a sensible free trade agreement.
"We will still be working very hard over the next month to try and get that delivered."
He added the UK would continue to work "night and day" to get a deal, but would happily walk away without one if EU bosses refused to give ground on the key sticking points - fishing rights and state aid.
But Boris is preparing to discard parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, which was agreed on the basis a trade deal with the EU would be hashed out in time.
Planned legislation due to be published on Wednesday are expected to overrule parts of the Northern Ireland protocol.
The protocol has said Northern Ireland will be tied to EU rules on customs, VAT, state aid and goods standards.
Under previous rules, Britain would have to let Brussels know if any state aid decisions affected the good markets in Northern Ireland.
But the fresh rules would mean UK courts would follow the new legislation, instead of tying Britains to EU regulations on issues such as state aid - the extend to which private companies are subsidised by the state.
The new legislation will "dilute" rules on tariffs, checks on goods leaving the rest of Britain for Northern Ireland, and state aid.
A source said the plans would "clearly and consciously" undermine parts of the original protocol.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said discussions with the EU to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were still ongoing
He said the legislative changes were a necessary "safety net" in the event that they were unable to come to an agreement.
"As a responsible Government, we cannot allow the peace process or the UK's internal market to inadvertently be compromised by unintended consequences of the protocol," the spokesman said.
"So we are taking limited and reasonable steps to clarify specific elements of the Northern Ireland protocol in domestic law to remove any ambiguity and to ensure the Government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland."
Mr Eustice stressed this would not mean "ripping up" the Withdrawal Agreement completely.
When asked, he told BBC Radio 4: "No, we are not saying that at all."
He said the Northern Ireland protocol - which is prevents a hard border with Ireland - would still be implemented.
The region will still follow some EU rules even after the transition period ends on December 31.
WAR OF WORDS
European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has sniped back at the PM's threats, claiming the UK wants "the best of both worlds".
He told French Radio that Britain implementing the Withdrawal Agreement was "a pre-condition for confidence between us because everything that has been signed in the past must be respected".
The PM said if there was no deal the UK would trade with the EU on the same terms as Australia do.
Mr Johnson has insisted any arrangement must be signed by October 15 so it could be in force by December 31, the end of the transition period.
He said there was “no sense in thinking about timelines that go beyond that” as businesses on both sides of the Channel needed time to prepare.
The PM added that leaving without a trade deal with the bloc would allow Britain to "prosper mightily" with its newfound independence from the EU's rules and regulations.
Talks on a UK-EU post-Brexit deal have stumbled on two major sticking points — fisheries and state aid.
The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said she expects the UK to implement the withdrawal agreement.
She said: "I trust the British government to implement the Withdrawal Agreement, an obligation under international law and a prerequisite for any future partnership.
"Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is essential to protect peace and stability on the island & integrity of the single market."
'THERE FOR THE TAKING'
Brussels is refusing British demands for fish quotas reserved for UK vessels to rise from 25 to 50 per cent.
The EU is also demanding to see Britain’s policy for subsidising industries in case it gives UK businesses an advantage over EU rivals.
The fresh pressure from the PM comes after the Foreign Secretary said yesterday mini "unilateral" agreements could be struck to keep border open and "mitigate" the impact on trade if there is no deal.
He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "The truth is we'd much rather have a deal and that's why we're continuing these negotiations with the EU.
"Of course, all of those damaging impacts will be the same on the other side, if not greater.
"So, the common sense is to come to a reasonable compromise in the way we've proposed and I think that would be good for both sides, a win-win."
Dominic Raab admitted internal government rifts were delaying the publication of its state aid proposals.
The Foreign Secretary said: “It’s an economic debate. As Conservatives, we have got a proud record of being pro-competition, pro-consumer but we’ve also got our levelling-up agenda.
“In context of Covid, we see you must have more significant intervention in some areas so it allows us the latitude to tailor British policy to the national interest rather than rules dictated or the control exercised by the EU.
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“Whichever side of the political or economic spectrum you sit on, that is common sense.”
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But Mr Raab insisted a deal was still “there for the taking”.
He said this week should be “a wake-up call for the EU side” and a “moment of reckoning”.
Boris Johnson says Britain will prosper with No Deal Brexit and is prepared for 'any eventuality'
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