Boris Johnson may “need to get involved” personally to end the Brexit deadlock over fisheries, a senior source on the UK negotiating team has said.
Negotiations on fisheries broke off without “any progress” last week, as EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier continued to demand “status quo” access to UK fishing grounds after Brexit.
The UK has so far refused to put a fisheries proposal forward in talks, as the EU team have “stuck” to the idea of a continuation of the hated common fisheries policy, an insider told us.
“We didn’t think it was useful to table a text because we’re talking past each other, they’re talking about continuing the common fisheries policy, which is never going to happen”, a senior source on the UK negotiating said.
He added: “We have been absolutely fundamental on this; at the end of the year we become a country with control over our coastal waters, we become an independent coastal state, we will base access on science and it will be up to us to determine access by annual negotiations. That’s fundamental.
“If Barnier wants to talk to us about how that will work on that basis, then fine. We’re looking for a deal like the one they’ve got with Norway.”
The source suggested the prime minister may have to eventually get involved if fisheries continues to be an “obstacle” in talks.
“He will at some point need to get involved, but I don’t think that we’re at that point yet”.
Asked whether the EU would budge on the issue, given Mr Barnier’s warning that fisheries was a central pillar of the talks, he said: “Well, it’s early days. I remember last autumn we were constantly told that the EU has a mandate and before we can get a deal, the EU will have to reflect and change the mandate.
“As far as I know, they never did – one moment there was a backstop and the next moment there wasn’t, the EU seemed to be flexible about that.
“So I regard their mandate as their internal process to sort out, they need to get themselves into a position where they can do a deal.”
The next round of talks between the UK and EU teams is on May 11 and there is optimism in London that a deal can be reached.
“Of course there is little time, but what’s very clear to me is that if we agree on a standard Canada-style trade agreement, we could do it, quite quickly.”
