EU accused of being unreasonable as post-Brexit trade deal remains elusive

UK health minister Matt Hancock says Brussels must shift its position

Lorries queue to enter the Port of Dover, as the clock ticks down on the chance for the UK to strike a deal before the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31. AP Photo

A post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and EU appeared no closer on Sunday after a senior British minister accused the bloc of making “unreasonable demands” and urged Brussels to shift its position.

While it left the EU on January 31, the UK has been in a transition phase since then and remains in the bloc’s single market until the end of the year. The outstanding issues are over fishing rights, a deeply controversial matter that helped to drive Brexit.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, proposed that EU fishermen give up nearly a quarter of the value of the fish they currently catch in UK waters.

But Britain is reportedly holding out for getting back much more than half.

Without a trade agreement, there would be a costly economic fallout in the new year that would result in cross-border tariffs and delays.

Health Minister Matt Hancock said he was sure a deal could still be done “but obviously it needs movement on the EU side”.

“The talks are continuing. I understand that the EU have put in a deadline of having them concluded by Christmas,” he told Sky News.

“We want these talks to reach a positive conclusion. Of course I want a deal, I think everybody wants a deal. Unfortunately the EU have put in some unreasonable demands.

“Obviously I have been mostly concentrating on the pandemic but I have been looking at the detail of some of the requests from the EU. They are unreasonable, they do no respect the result of the referendum,” Mr Hancock said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson refuses to accept any deal that could be viewed as infringing on the UK’s sovereignty, while the EU wants to protect its single market.

On Saturday, the European Parliament repeated its call for a deal to be reached no later than this weekend, to give it time to properly ratify the agreement.