Brexit LIVE: French fishermen warn of 'absolute chaos’ as they turn on Macron over deal - Daily Express

Brexit trade talks are expected to resume today between Lord Frost and the EU’s negotiator Michel Barnier after the UK blamed Brussels’ stubbornness for putting a “de facto end” to negotiations earlier this month. And now in a surprising twist, fishermen have turned on the Fresh President over his hardline stance as they fear Boris Johnson will absolutely walk away with no deal unless the EU backs down on its demands.

Mr Macron is understood to be the driving force behind the EU’s rigid fishing demands while Germany’s Angela Merkel has stubborn stuck behind state aid and level playing field demands.

However, French fishermen believe such demands will come at a cost as talks between the UK and Brussels resume today.

With Boris Johnson indicating he is prepared for the UK to walk away at the end of transition period on December 31 with no deal, French fishermen fear losing access to British fishing waters entirely.

Dimitri Rogoff, of the Normandy Regional Fisheries Committee, said: “If it’s a no deal, it will be absolute chaos.

“We will have to stop our boats going to sea as we will not be able to fish in British waters.”

Sophie Leroy, who owns four boats, also told The Sun on Sunday: “If there is a no deal, we will not let a single British fish land in our French ports.

“We are not going to sacrifice our companies and let the British market their seafood here.”

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9.05am update: Emmanuel Macron could still play hardball on fisheries despite calls to for him to cave

Bruno Cautrès, a political analyst at think tank Cevipof argued “symbolically” the issue of fishing in trade talks is huge for the French President who doesn’t want to look like he is abandoning French fishermen in favour of the Capital.

However, Mr Macron is facing mounting pressure from other EU leaders such as Germany’s Angela Merkel to drop his hardline stance in order to break the deadlock in UK trade talks

Mr Cautrès told the Sunday Telegraph: “It would be very difficult for Macron to veto a deal if France found itself isolated in the EU.

“This issue is particularly important for France but not for all member-states.”

8.30am update: Household items could cost more if UK leaves with no deal

Import costs for everyday items could rise by around a third in the event of a no deal Brexit, a leading UK business group has warned.

David Wells, chief executive of the organisation previously known as the Freight Transport Association, urged the Government to keep working towards a trade agreement with the EU as he warned a no deal scenario could drive inflation up as a result of the rise in prices for imported goods.

In a letter to the Sunday Times, he said: "Everyday household items we import will become more expensive under World Trade Organisation tariffs, some by 30 percent or more.

"This will make the household shopping basket much more expensive, particularly in the early part of 2021 when we rely on imports for much of our fresh food."

8am update: Withdrawal Agreement means UK to have WORSE EU trade terms than Australia - new report

A new report has claimed the UK will have worse trading terms with the EU than Australia in the event of a no deal Brexit.

Boris’ plan to trade with the Brussels bloc on “Australia rules” under World Trade Organisation terms if a deal is not reached may already be doomed a report by the Centre for Brexit Policy has claimed.

It concludes the legal guarantees the Government has already given to Brussels in the controversial withdrawal agreement mean that Mr Johnson’s fall-back option cannot be secured without a radical overhaul of past commitments.

The report The 'Australia deal’: Another Impossible Dream, underlines the damaging impact of the WA and associated Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) signed into law a year ago.

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2020-10-25 08:23:00Z
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