EU 'posturing' ahead of Brexit talks
THE UK government can achieve a future trade deal with the European Union ahead of the December 31 deadline despite warning of a 'bruising battle', two senior Conservatives predict.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and senior French politicians were accused of 'posturing' ahead of negotiations on the future relationship between the bloc and Britain by former Tory MPs Nick de Bois and Andrew Bingham.
They were guests of Jáveabased Bay Radio and agreed the result of December’s general election - when traditional Labour voters in the north of England 'lent' Boris Johnson their support - came as a 'great surprise'.
However, they attributed the victory at the ballot box to voters wanting to 'get Brexit done' after the three-year stalemate following the 2016 referendum.
Nick, special advisor and chief of staff to Dominic
Raab during his time as Secretary of State for exiting the EU and former MP for Enfield North, has a home on the Costa Blanca and was visiting with Andrew, who became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois in 2014, and lost his seat as Member for High Peak in Derbyshire in the snap 2017 election.
They were asked about current EU demands that the bloc retain access to British fishing grounds, Brussels dictate trading standards, and the European Court of Justice oversee the ongoing relationship.
Canada
It comes as Brussels was accused of going back on its promise of a Canada-style free trade deal because of Britain’s geographic proximity to Europe, with Barnier predicting an 'ambitious' agreement in its place.
Questioned about the oncoming 'bruising battle' with negotiations to start in earnest next month, Andrew said: “It’s probably just posturing; in any negotiations you start from position A or position B and slowly come together.”
Nick said both the EU in general and France feared Britain as a 'great competitor' as a
liberal country with a relatively low regulatory environment - and why countries like Canada and South Korea on reaching trade deals did not face demands for EU standards and the Europe Court of Justice to be applied.
However, he said, "There is room for compromise and Britain and Europe could come together on 'equivalence' over standards, which is pretty sensible” - he added, “They fear a very competitive very liberal UK on their doorstep.”
Andrew said: “I think it is possible to get a deal by the end of the year, this is all posturing at the moment; there maybe a few items done at the 11th hour, business usually finds a way.
It’s all about commerce.
“The negotiations will probably be choppy on occasion but a deal can be done.”
And talking about the general election result, when Boris Johnson was returned to No10 with a strong majority, Andrew said Labour 'sort of lost its identity' outside the Westminster bubble. “I think people in the north got fed up with being told what to do and how to do it.”
Winner
Nick, who actively campaigned for the Conservatives ahead of the ballot, said, “You know you are on to a winner when people keep relating you message back to you, saying ‘I just want to get
Brexit done’; the Boris Johnson message. It worked in the north of England as much as the south.”
Andrew added: “People just got sick to death of Brexit and wanted it done - it worked. It really did. People said they just wanted it done and they were so fed up, sick to death of Brexit.”
Both men believe the Conservatives can hold seats they turned blue in the traditional northern Labour ‘red wall’; by continuing to 'get things done' and to 'level the playing field' by making the north 'as prosperous as the south'.
They said public transport was a key factor across rural England, saying the investment in buses and a quality railway system would make a difference. “It is the small things people notice”.
Andrew agreed things could not be done overnight. “I think the No10 team is very aware that people who normally vote Labour have lent the Conservatives their vote on this occasion.
“They lent their vote to get Brexit done and now you have to get them to vote for you again - if people see spades in the ground, they will think ‘yes, Boris Johnson is delivering’.”