Despite the hardline rhetoric, a trade agreement is still possible – and the prime minister wants one
So the prime minister has spoken. And as a result, we have a standoff. While Boris Johnson demanded a “fundamental change of approach” from the EU, the 27 heads of state and government, for their part, on Friday called on the UK “to make the necessary moves to make an agreement possible”.
There were, of course, the usual half-truths. For the record, the UK has been asking for significantly more than a Canada-style relationship, including visa-free travel for short business trips and mutual recognition of qualifications. The EU has been clear for some time that the UK’s size and proximity would necessitate safeguards that weren’t felt to be needed for the Canadians. And Australia has a number of agreements in place with the EU and is seeking a free-trade agreement to improve on World Trade Organization terms. So neither analogy is particularly accurate.
