primer ministro boris johnson
© REUTERS/Toby MelvilleUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said unless there is a "fundamental change in approach" from the European Union then the UK will go for the "Australia solution" - Downing Street language for no-deal - in the post-Brexit trade talks.

Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Johnson said: "From the outset we were totally clear that we wanted nothing more complicated than a Canada-style relationship based on friendship and free trade.

"To judge by the latest EU summit in Brussels, that won't work for our EU partners.

"They want the continued ability to control our legislative freedom, our fisheries in a way that is completely unacceptable to an independent country.

"And since we have only 10 weeks until the end of the transition period on January 1, I have to make judgment about the likely outcome and get us ready.

"And given that they have refused to negotiate seriously for much of the last few months and given that this summit appears explicitly to rule out a Canada-style deal, I've concluded that we should get ready for January 1 with arrangements that are more like Australia's based on simple principles of global free trade.

Meanwhile, Lord Frost said the UK was "disappointed" by the outcome of a European Union summit in which the bloc signalled it was willing to continue trade negotiations but called on Britain to make the next move.

Mr Johnson last month proposed that both sides should walk away from the talks and prepare for a no-deal outcome if there was no agreement by the European Council meeting on October 15.

But, in a text adopted by the summit of EU leaders on the day of the deadline, they "invited" Brussels' chief negotiator Michel Barnier to continue his discussions while urging the UK to "make the necessary moves to make an agreement possible".
Lord Frost branded the response "unusual" in a statement released later.

He tweeted: "Disappointed by the European Council conclusions on UK/EU negotiations.


"(I'm) surprised the EU is no longer committed to working 'intensively' to reach a future partnership as agreed with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on October 3.

"Also surprised by the suggestion that to get an agreement all future moves must come from the UK.

"It's an unusual approach to conducting a negotiation."

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: "Britain has already imposed so many deadlines that came and went."

Meanwhile, Mr Michel told a press conference that Brussels would decide in the coming days, based on the UK's next proposals, whether it should continue with trade talks.

"We are clear that we are determined to negotiate, we are determined to reach an agreement but we know there are some difficult topics," he said.

"It is the case for fisheries, certainly, and also for level playing field and also governance.

"We are united and we will make an assessment in the next days, we will see if it is possible to complete a negotiation, what will be the country's (the UK's) proposal and based on that we will make an assessment."
Michel Barnier
© Francois Lenoir / ReutersEuropean Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said at the press conference his team were determined to reach a "fair deal".

All sides have acknowledged that the question of future fishing rights once the current Brexit transition period ends at the end of the year remains among the most difficult issues to be resolved.

French president Emmanuel Macron, who is under pressure from fishermen in his country who fear losing access to British waters, indicated that he was prepared to take a hard line.

"Under any circumstance, our fishermen should not be sacrificed for Brexit," he said.

"If these conditions are not met, it's possible we won't have a deal. If the right terms can't be found at the end of these discussions, we're ready for a no-deal for our future relations."

Taoiseach Micheál Martin also emphasised the importance of securing a satisfactory agreement on fishing if there was to be an overall trade deal.

Meanwhile, Mrs von der Leyen announced that she had to pull out of the summit to self-isolate after a member of her staff tested positive for coronavirus, even though the German politician tested negative.