UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that the UK is prepared for any eventuality from the ongoing post-Brexit negotiations with the European Union over the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
“We’re ready for any eventuality, of course … We will get through this. It’s vital that our partners understand that the UK is going to do what we need to do,” Johnson told reporters during a visit to the English town of Solihull, when he was asked about the possibility of London and Brussels not striking a deal before the end the transition period.
The prime minister said he was even ready to accept an Australia-style deal, although admitted that he would prefer a Canada-style solution.
“If we need to have an Australia-style deal, an Australia-style solution, then that is what we will achieve and we will prosper mightily one way or the other.
“They could be sensible and give us a Canada-style solution, which after all they’ve given Canada, and I very much hope they will, but we’re ready for either eventuality, ” he said.
Johnson’s comments come ahead of the eighth round of trade talks between the UK and the EU that is due to begin in London on Monday.
The possibility of a no-deal Brexit is looming ahead as both sides have blamed each other for the lack of progress in the previous seven rounds.
According to the negotiators, the sticking points include access to fishing waters, the arbitration of legal disputes, and the so-called level playing field, the set of common rules and standards that prevent unfair trade competition.
After the UK abandoned the EU on Jan. 31, both sides entered into an 11-month transition period to set the rules for their future bilateral trade.
If no FTA is secured by Dec. 31, and with Johnson already ruling out the possibility of asking for an extension of the transition period, London and Brussels will have to trade on the terms set by World Trade Organisation, meaning that tariffs and full border checks would be imposed on UK goods entering the EU.
