Defiant Boris Johnson warns EU he won’t be bossed around in post-Brexit trade talks
BORIS Johnson will warn EU chiefs he will not be bossed around as he sets out his stall for a post-Brexit trade deal.
The PM will outline his exciting new vision for global Britain declaring: “No achievement lies beyond our reach.”
But he will make clear he is ready to walk away if they start laying down impossible demands when talks start.
Mr Johnson will echo the famous “no, no, no” outburst of Maggie Thatcher as he rules out allowing Brussels to keep any control over our affairs in future.
In a speech to world business leaders and ambassadors, he will say “no” to aligning Britain with EU regulations, obeying orders from European judges or making further concessions.
Less than 72 hours after Brexit he will exercise his new-found freedom to unleash the country’s full potential now “no deal” has been taken off the table.
The UK’s position on future talks with the EU will be set out tomorrow in a ministerial statement. A government source said: “There are only two likely outcomes in negotiation — a free trade deal like Canada or a looser arrangement like Australia. And we’re happy to pursue both.”
With just 11 months left to strike a deal the PM will bluntly warn Eurocrats he they can take it or leave it.
'TREATED AS EQUALS'
Since leaving the EU on Friday night, Britain has regained an independent seat on the World Trade Organisation and will sit separately from the EU. While talking to the EU the PM will push ahead with other free trade deals around the world — with the USA New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
An insider said: “The EU can no longer prevent us from speaking or intervening in ways that are in line with our national interest.
“Now Brexit is over we expect to be treated as equals. We’re fully independent and our approach to a free trade deal will not be bound by our previous obligations.”
Mr Johnson will also make it clear the NHS will not be on the table in any trade talks.
There will be no relaxation of food hygiene, workers’ rights and green issues. The speech will be made tomorrow at a London venue with historic trade ties as the EU publishes its own trade mandate.
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He will cite Liverpool and Glasgow as examples of cities that will benefit from increased trans-Atlantic trade, spreading new trading opportunities around the country.
With Brexit delivered, Mr Johnson is keen to turn his attention to domestic priorities lost in three years of Commons chaos.
He wants to keep standards which outstrip the EU’s including maternity leave, national minimum wage and the ban on single-use plastics.
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