Boris Johnson to set out vision for EU trade deal

Boris Johnson will set out his vision for a trade deal with the EU today, insisting there is “no need” for the UK to follow Brussels’ rules.

According to the BBC, the PM will call for a Canada-style free trade agreement, while vowing to walk away from negotiations if one cannot be struck. 

“There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules,” he will say.

In a speech on “unleashing Britain's potential”, Johnson will call for a “free trade agreement, similar to Canada's”, adding that “in the very unlikely event that we do not succeed, then our trade will have to be based on our existing Withdrawal Agreement with the EU”.

Johnson has already come under fire for the speech, with acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey telling the BBC that the PM’s reference to an Australian-style relationship was “no deal in all but name”.

Davey said: “Deliberately hollowing out our trade is nothing short of a scorched earth policy for our economy.”

The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is expected to demand that Britain agrees to Brussels standards because of its “geographic proximity and economic interdependence”, as well as the threat of “unfair competition by undercutting”, The Times reports.

Johnson’s speech means that “the scene is set for a bitter dispute with Brussels” over trade, the paper adds.

Many commentators doubt that the UK could agree a Canada-style agreement with the EU by the 31 December deadline. Canada’s trade deal with the EU is known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and took seven years to negotiate.

According to the BBC, the deal eliminates 98% of all tariffs on goods traded between Canada and the EU.

The agreement does not fully remove regulatory barriers, however, as Canada is not a member of the single market. This means that Canadian products are still subject to border checks.

Source: The Week