EU’s chief negotiator warns ‘frictionless trade’ with the bloc after Brexit is IMPOSSIBLE and says ‘no deal’ is NOT an option
Tough-talking Michel Barnier said that no deal would make a 'lose-lose' situation even worse
SMOOTH trade with the EU will be IMPOSSIBLE after Brexit, and walking out without a deal is not an option, the EU's chief negotiator has threatened.
Tough-talking Michel Barnier claimed today that not securing an arrangement would "make a lose-lose situation even worse".
Speaking today in Brussels to the European Economic and Social Committee about Brexit, he said that "there is no reasonable justification for a no-deal".
Ministers in the UK have suggested that if talks fail, negotiators could walk out of talks, claiming that "no deal is better than a bad deal".
Britain and the EU started talks on Brexit last month and are set to continue them before the end of July.
He also inisted today that trade will NOT be the same between Britain and the EU after we leave.
Mr Barnier was adamant that "trade will never be as fluid for a country which makes the choice to leave the single market and the customs union."
The EU's chief negotiator repeated hardline comments that Britain will be worse off after we quit the bloc, despite David Davis' wishes to get the "exact same benefits" as being in the single market.
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Mr Barnier said this morning: "I have heard some people in the UK argue that one can leave the single market and keep all of its benefits. That is not possible.
"I have heard some people in the UK argue that one can leave the single market and build a customs union to achieve frictionless trade. That is not possible."
And in a quip at UK leaders, Mr Barnier said today that he was unsure whether the EU's firm position on the "four freedoms" had been "fully understood across the channel".
These four freedoms - including freedom of movement - are indivisible and there can be no exceptions for certain sectors, he insisted.
Taking another hard line against Britain, he insisted: "The decision to leave the EU has consequences" and that will include "negative" implications on the UK's trade and investment.
But he denied claims that there were attempts to "punish" the UK for quitting the EU.
Mr Barnier also claimed that businesses in the UK could face additional red tape - and exports of live animals and animal produce would be subject to MORE border checks.