Prepare to crash out of EU without Brexit deal, says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson tells Britain to prepare for end of the Brexit transition period without a deal as he steps up the pressure on EU.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London on Thursday. Picture: AFP

Boris Johnson has told Britain to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period without a deal as he steps up the pressure on EU leaders.

The British Prime Minister said he had the cabinet’s very strong backing in rejecting the “deal on the table” and warned it was vital that “everyone gets ready” for the no-deal option.

Asked if he thought leaving in three weeks’ time without an agreement had become the most likely outcome, he said: “I do think we need to be very, very clear, there is now a strong possibility, a strong possibility, that we will have a solution that is much more like an Australian relationship with the EU than a Canadian relationship with the EU.”

Unlike Canada, Australia does not have a trade deal with Europe.

In a sign of the worsening ­atmosphere after Wednesday night’s failed dinner with European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Johnson mocked claims that the bloc and the UK “were a bit like twins”, which were said to have been made during the event.

“If the EU decides to have a haircut then the UK is going to have a haircut or else face punishment,” he said.

“Or if the EU decides to buy an expensive handbag then the UK has to buy an expensive handbag too or else face tariffs. Clearly that is not the sensible way to proceed and it’s unlike any other free-trade deal.”

Mr Johnson issued an explicit challenge to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to intervene to salvage a deal while again insisting that the “Australia option” offered “amazing possibilities”.

“What I’ve said to our negotiators is that we’ve got to keep going, and we’ll go the extra mile, and we will,” Mr Johnson said. “And I will go to Brussels, I will go to Paris, I will go to Berlin, I will go to wherever to try and get this home and get a deal.”

He added that he had told the cabinet to “get on and make preparations” for a no-deal outcome.

Allies said that he had universal backing from the cabinet on his stand, including from former Remainers.

Senior government figures also voiced exasperation about Wednesday night’s dinner, saying the European Commission had failed to engage with potential solutions to the central difficulties over regulatory alignment.

Mr Johnson and his chief negotiator, David Frost, held a 45-minute meeting with Ms von der Leyen and her senior aide Stephanie Riso, before a lengthy dinner with a wider group that included the bloc’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier.

British sources said that Mr Barnier was stony-faced as Mr Johnson sought to lay out potential solutions.

Brussels officials said that they had been briefed about Mr Johnson’s statement so it had not come as a surprise.

His analogy about twins had them scratching their heads. It is thought to be rooted in comparisons, made by senior French officials, of France and Britain being like sisters living in adjoining houses who are jealous rivals.

During talks on Thursday night, Irish Prime Minister ­Micheal Martin urged the EU to help “break the logjam”.

He said he believed an agreement was “within reach” but warned that all sides would “lose out” if the talks failed.

Ireland is the EU country most at risk from Britain leaving on World Trade Organisation terms at the end of the transition period and has been playing a prominent role behind the scenes in attempting to strike a compromise.

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Martin said neither side should walk away when “97 per cent of a deal had been agreed”.

“Dialogue is key and both teams have given themselves a deadline of this Sunday, and I think the key to unlocking this is to stand back and look at the overall picture here,” he said.

“Ninety-seven per cent of this is agreed. Are we saying we are going to lose out on a deal because of 3 per cent? Notwithstanding the significance of the issues, the bottom line is a lot of work has been done, a lot of agreement has been reached, so one final effort is required.”

The Times