James Forsyth James Forsyth

Will Britain’s fishing offer break the Brexit deadlock?

Boris Johnson in Grimsby, 2019 (Photo: Getty)

On Sunday night another Brexit deadline passed; the European Parliament had said it would need to see a deal by then if it was to pass it by the end of the year. But the negotiations are still going on.

Multiple papers are this morning reporting a new British offer on fishing. The Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief Daniel Boffey says it involves a five-year transition for the industry.

It remains to be seen if this will be enough to pave the way for a deal. Those who understand the French position well think that Emmanuel Macron will want more than what London is reported to have offered and that he still has concern over some level playing field issues. But this really is a moment for leaders to see the bigger picture. The UK side has moved from its initial determination to limit the transition to three years, which would have meant it ended before the next election. It would now be sensible for the EU to respond rather than risk injecting the poison that no deal would create into UK / EU relations.

If there is a deal, the Telegraph quotes government sources as saying that it is most likely Parliament will vote on the necessary legislation on 30 December. Despite all the Brexit deadlines that have been missed, there is one that really does count – the end of the transition period on 31 December. Extending that would be legally complicated and take time. If there isn’t a deal for Parliament to vote on by then, it really will be no deal.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in