EU deal 'unlikely' says Michel Barnier as Brexit talks on brink of collapse

BRITAIN'S Brexit Chief blasted the "difficult" EU today as talks remained on the verge of collapse. At the end of the latest round of talks, David Frost said "substantial areas of disagreement remain" between both sides and warned of a last chance to avoid No Deal before September. He said he couldn't understand why it was "so difficult" for the EU to understand why Britain wanted a free trade agreement like Canada does. And he said "considerable gaps remain in the most difficult areas, that is, the so-called level playing field and on fisheries." Mr Frost said: "We have always been clear that our principles in these areas are not simple negotiating positions but expressions of the reality that we will be a fully independent country at the end of the transition period. “That is why we continue to look for a deal with, at its core, a free trade agreement similar to the one the EU already has with Canada – that is, an agreement based on existing precedents. "We remain unclear why this is so difficult for the EU, but we will continue to negotiate with this in mind. " Both sides accepted that a deal would not be done by Boris' July deadline -and No Deal could still happen in 2021. Michel Barnier said at a press conference this lunchtime that a trade agreement at this point was "unlikely" and the EU was "getting ready" for a No Deal. He said we were still "far away" from an agreement but stressed the talks were "positive" and "professional". There had been "no progress" in some areas and "this week again the UK did not show a willingness to break the deadlock." "By its current refusal to commit to fair and open competition, the UK makes a trade agreement at this point unlikely," he said. "We only have a few weeks left, so we should not waste time." But Britain was more optimistic, with Mr Frost saying he was hopeful an agreement could be done by September and vowed to continue to "keep working hard to bridge the gaps". Mr Frost warned today after the latest round of discussions: "We must face the possibility that [a deal] will not be reached, and we must therefore continue preparing for all possible scenarios for the end of the transition period at the end of this year." EU negotiators will come back to London next week for informal discussions, with another round of official talks scheduled for 17 August onwards. Mr Barnier said today that the bloc was prepared to negotiate "right until the 11th hour", even though both sides wanted one done ahead of time. Read more UK Brexit chief blasts ‘difficult’ EU as deal talks on brink of collapse https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/politic... From Brexit breaking news to HD movie trailers, The Sun newspaper brings you the latest news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world. Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: http://www.thesun.co.uk Like The Sun on Facebook:   / thesun   Follow The Sun on Twitter:   / thesun   Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat:   / 1633225139