Stalemate in UK-EU Talks
Liberal Democrats we have always believed the best deal we could have with the EU was that as a member. However that train left the station some time ago unfortunately and we've been stuck in stalemate talks with the European Union since then.
After the last deadlock in talks, the UK and EU have decided to return to the negotiating table to try to agree a post-Brexit trade deal, despite "significant differences" and now the clock has almost run down.
Brexit as we all know already happened on 31st January 2020 and now the transition period ends in just 25 days time.
The negotiating teams will reconvene in Brussels on Sunday, and the leaders will speak again on Monday evening to see what progress if any has been made. In the joint statement from Mr Johnson and Ms Von der Leyen, they said fishing rights, competition rules and how any deal is enforced were still causing problems, with the statement adding: "Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved."
The pressure on the Prime Minister to make the concessions needed for a deal are now enormous. The much promised deal with the US is now a long way off with the Biden team saying they are not interested in any trade deals with anyone in the early years of the administration.
Manufacturing, the sector which has best weathered the Covid storm is the sector that will be most badly hit by no deal creating a perfect economic storm as it seems that the German car manufacturing industry is not riding to our rescue as promised by government and vote leave supporters
At least now some of the Brexit rhetoric is now visible as the fantasy it has always been. "The easiest deal in history" and "wanting our cake and eat it" seems a long time ago. The hard realities of being a medium sized country in a multinational world have been exposed.
When asked on BBC Newsnight why the Prime Ministers election promise of "an oven ready " Brexit had still to be delivered arch Brexiteer Peter Bone responded that the deal was there. Its just the EU wont agree to it!
Sovereignty isn't just a British prerogative it seems!