A TOP EU official has hit out at the UK Government for making proposals about Brexit talks before a key meeting next month.
EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan hit out at Westminster after Michael Gove hinted in the House of Lords that the UK could drop its ask for a zero tariff and zero quota trade deal and instead seek a carbon copy of the EU's trade deal with Canada (CETA).
Hogan urged politicians to raise such proposals with the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, instead of "in the airwaves".
He said: "We’re going to have to make difficult decisions at the end of June. We’ve waited a long time for the UK to come up with its mandate and be ready to negotiate. We’ve been very patient with the UK in terms of the slow pace it’s shown in relation to engaging with the discussions.
"We take account of the illness of the PM and we hope he continues to his full recovery but the place to do all of this work is at the table of negotiations where there’s been plenty of opportunities which haven’t been taken by UK in recent weeks.
"We hope in the next two rounds we’ll see much more intensive work being done, much more engagement, so even having to consider a transition [extension] won’t have to be considered at all."
During his 90-minute appearance in front of the Lords committee yesterday, Gove also confirmed the UK would exchange texts with Brussels on the Government’s negotiation position on fishing rights in the “next few weeks”.
An agreement on fishing and financial services is due to be made next month as part of the first stage of ratifying a cross-Channel agreement.
Asked to respond to the claim by Barnier that the UK had failed to “seriously” engage with its key issues, which include upholding a level-playing field, fishing waters access and governance, Gove said the Government had already demonstrated it was willing to compromise by requesting a Canada-style free trade agreement.
“It is the case that we seek a zero-tariff, zero-quota arrangement,” he said.
“But if it is the case that we end up like CETA with tariffs on a small number of goods, we will regret that, we will think it is a missed opportunity, but if that is the price we have to pay, then there you go.”
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