From Sky News:
Boris Johnson says it’s time to “get ready” for the prospect of no free trade deal with the EU on 1 January.
The prime minister claimed Brussels had “abandoned” the ambition but insisted “we always knew there would be change” next year once the tradition period ends “whatever type of relationship we had”.
Speaking from Downing Street after an EU summit both sides said was the deadline for hammering out a trade deal, Mr Johnson said it looked like the country was heading for what he called “the Australian solution”.
He suggested he is not completely walking away from negotiations, adding: “What we’re saying to them is come here, come to us, if there’s some fundamental change of approach.”
But Mr Johnson said in a dramatic intervention that “there doesn’t seem to be any progress coming from Brussels”.
He told businesses and hauliers to “get ready” for there to be no free trade deal.
And he urged people to “embrace the alternative” with “high hearts”, vowing the UK will “prosper mightily”.
Could be a negotiation tactic or just a statement of fact? With the end of the year just 2 and a half months away, then factor in the Christmas break, the chances of a deal are very slim.
One thing is for sure, if you thought 2020 was bad, 2021 is due to be a complete omnishambles all round. Economic chaos due to Covid-19, then pile Brexit on top of it all – it does not look pretty.
I pity the businesses and organisations trying to chart a course through very turbulent waters, not to mention us poor sods below decks.
May you live in interesting times Eh?
Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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