Michel Barnier has signalled that he is ready to drop the EU’s most contentious demand that its rules limiting government subsidies to businesses are inserted into British law after another week of stuttering negotiations over a future trade and security deal....Last month the UK’s chief negotiator, David Frost, wrote to Barnier arguing that it was “not a provision any democratic country could sign”....Frost rejected any suggestion that Downing Street would seek to weaken levels of safety but pointed out that the British side would not be tied to EU rules and that other vehicles for agreement would need to be found.
The British side of the talks seems to be appearing even in the GHraun:
During his press conference appearance, Barnier made repeated references to the political declaration, the 27-page document agreed by Boris Johnson and the EU last year as a guide to the negotiations on the future relationship....He accused Downing Street of backtracking on key parts of that agreement [But Frost said] “Our view of the political declaration is that, as it says in the title, it is a framework. And in para three says ‘it establishes the parameters of an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership’ … and we are fully committed to that vision. That doesn’t mean that everything in the declaration must go into a legally binding treaty.”
And there seem to be signs of some proper threats to back discussion:
In an attempt to spur the talks along, London has made a veiled threat of imposing tariffs on agricultural goods such as beef, tomatoes and diary [sic] products that would have a high impact on exports from the likes of Ireland, France and Spain.
The Graun might yet get interested in real politics instead of symbolic stuff. Mind you, Barnier still gets a video clip of his own on the Graun website, where he can make his case about British 'backlsliding' unchallenged
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