UK chief negotiator tells Boris Johnson to expect Brexit deal ‘early next week’
David Frost predicts agreement may be just around the corner despite prime minister’s red lines
The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator has told Boris Johnson that talks to secure a future trade deal with the EU may finally have reached “a possible landing zone”.
David Frost is predicting that the negotiations may conclude “as soon as Tuesday”, The Sun political editor’s Harry Cole reports. But the bid to secure a deal could still be scuppered by disputes over fishing and red tape, with both sides urging the other to “get real”.
Although senior cabinet members including Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove are reportedly urging compromise to avoid a no-deal exit, “Johnson last night said he would not row back on his Brexit red lines”, the paper adds.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A No. 10 source told Cole that “it’s not a secret that the Treasury has always been anti-no-deal and Michael Gove has concerns about the union”. Meanwhile, an official Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that “key elements of the draft text are not agreed”, but insisted that “the government is united behind the negotiation position”.
Lawyers for the EU are “looking into plans to rush through a Brexit deal before the end of the year”, even if talks drag on into December as a result of the disagreements over fishing rights and state aid payments, Sky News says.
One scenario laid out by the bloc’s legal experts would “remove the need to have it ratified by every European parliament”, meaning “it would only require the approval of EU leaders and the European Parliament”, the broadcaster reports.
Frost’s reported comments to the prime minister have raised hopes of a deal, after the negotiating chief committed to upholding Johnson’s red lines in crunch talks resuming this week.
But as the Financial Times notes, while Frost is “hanging tough” during the last-ditch negotiations, “he once felt far less bullish about the likely outcomes of such negotiations”.
In a pamphlet published just before the 2016 referendum, Frost wrote that in trade talks with the EU, “it will be Britain that has to make the concessions to get the deal”.
“True, other countries will want deals too, but they won’t be under anything like the same time pressure and can afford to make us sweat,” he added.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rishi Sunak's asylum spat with Ireland explained
In Depth Irish government plans to override court ruling that the UK is unsafe for asylum seekers
By The Week UK Published
-
Xi comes to Europe: what's on the agenda?
The Explainer China's president visiting for first time since 2019, with spotlight on support for Russia over Ukraine and trade tensions with EU
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is David Cameron overshadowing Rishi Sunak?
Talking Point Current PM faces 'thorny dilemma' as predecessor enjoys return to world stage
By The Week UK Published
-
'Europe is now beginning to tackle its military to-do list'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Can Boris Johnson save Rishi Sunak?
Today's Big Question Former PM could 'make the difference' between losing the next election and annihilation
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Stormont power-sharing in sight: 'good news' for Northern Ireland?
Talking Point Unionists vote to end two-year boycott after agreeing legislative package to address post-Brexit trading arrangements
By The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published