December 11th – According to comprehensive British media news, on the 10th local time, British Prime Minister Johnson said that Britain was “very likely” to leave the EU without a deal, and said that “now is the time” to prepare enterprises and individuals for a no-deal Brexit.
On the 10th, Johnson reportedly said that Britain was “very likely” unable to reach a Brexit trade agreement with the EU, so the United Kingdom should be prepared to leave the EU single market without an agreement.
He said that the EU’s current proposal is unacceptable, because Britain cannot be treated like its twin brother.
“It’s kind of like a twin, the UK is one of the twins, the EU is the other, and if the EU decides to cut its hair, then the UK will have to cut it or face punishment,” he said. “Obviously this is not a wise way to move forward.” He believes that this is a way to lock Britain on the EU regulatory track.
Johnson also said that Britain should be ready to reach an agreement with the European Union similar to that between it and Australia “based on the pure principles of global free trade”. That is to say, Britain and Europe will trade in accordance with the terms of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and tariffs must be set in accordance with WTO regulations, which may cause a sharp rise in commodity prices.
According to the report, on the 10th, after a three-hour summit with European Commission President von der Leyen, but failed to bridge the major differences between the two sides, Johnson said he was ready to “go an extra step” and personally fly to Paris or Berlin for face-to-face talks with EU leaders.
According to previous reports, on December 8, the European Union and the United Kingdom reached an agreement in principle on the implementation of the “Brexit” agreement on the remaining issues, especially with regard to the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Due to major differences on fair competition environment, compliance management and fisheries issues, the negotiation of trade agreements between the two sides has continued to be deadlocked.
The UK officially “Brexit” on January 31, 2020, followed by an 11-month transition period. In March, the two sides launched negotiations on future relations with a trade agreement at the core, looking forward to reaching an agreement during the transition period. In the absence of an agreement, the trade between the two sides will return to the framework of the World Trade Organization from 2021 and reimplement arrangements such as border inspection and tariffs.
