Prime Minister Boris Johnson's words ahead of round 8
of EU negotiations.
"We are now entering the final phase of our negotiations with the
EU.
The EU have been very clear about the timetable. I am too. There
needs to be an agreement with our European friends by the time of
the European Council on 15 October if it’s going to be in force
by the end of the year. So there is no sense in thinking about
timelines that go beyond that point. If we can’t agree by then,
then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement
between us, and we should both accept that and move on.
We will then have a trading arrangement with the EU like
Australia’s. I want to be absolutely clear that, as we have said
right from the start, that would be a good outcome for the UK. As
a Government we are preparing, at our borders and at our ports,
to be ready for it. We will have full control over our laws, our
rules, and our fishing waters. We will have the freedom to do
trade deals with every country in the world. And we will prosper
mightily as a result.
We will of course always be ready to talk to our EU friends even
in these circumstances. We will be ready to find sensible
accommodations on practical issues such as flights, lorry
transport, or scientific cooperation, if the EU wants to do that.
Our door will never be closed and we will trade as friends and
partners – but without a free trade agreement.
There is still an agreement to be had. We will continue to work
hard in September to achieve it. It is one based on our
reasonable proposal for a standard free trade agreement like the
one the EU has agreed with Canada and so many others. Even at
this late stage, if the EU are ready to rethink their current
positions and agree this I will be delighted. But we cannot and
will not compromise on the fundamentals of what it means to be an
independent country to get it."
