Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hit back at the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier’s claims that the UK needed to show more respect for Brussels in the Brexit negotiations after talks between the two sides broke down early on Thursday.
Mr Johnson denied the idea that the United Kingdom was not showing the European Union respect during the talks, he said that Britain was, in fact, showing the EU respect but would not bow down to some of the current demands.
Speaking on Nick Ferrari’s LBC show, Prime Minister Johnson said: “We are not remotely disrespectful of Michel, or the EU system which I know well and understand deeply.
“I just don’t think it’s right for us to proceed with the European Court of Justice continuing to arbitrate in the UK.
“Or, us having to obey EU laws when we are out of the EU, or us having to hand over our amazing fish stock.
“So we are not going to do those things.”
Ferrari asked: “So are we on course and hitting the deadlines, are we getting Brexit done?”
Mr Johnson responded: “We did get Brexit done! We now need to make sure we get a good deal.
“I have had great conversations with colleagues around the EU.
“I’m a bit more optimistic than Michel is there. There is a good agreement to be reached but obviously if we can’t, we have the very good option also of an Australian style deal.”
British and EU officials are set to meet next week in London next week for the second round of post-Brexit negotiations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed that the EU and UK were “still a long way apart”.
Britain’s chief negotiator David Frost said the face-to-face meetings “underlined the significant differences that still remain between us on a number of important issues”.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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