Coronavirus Outbreak Puts Brexit Negotiations in Jeopardy
Negotiations between the U.K. and European Union over their post-Brexit relationship are being thrown in doubt by the coronavirus, with Britain's refusal to countenance any extension to the talks putting a deal in jeopardy.
Speaking to a panel of lawmakers in London on Wednesday, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said whether the next talks will go ahead as planned is now a “live question.”
“We have had indications today from Belgium that there may be public health concerns,” he said.
The two sides are already discussing contingency plans should next week's round of talks be canceled, according to an official involved in the preparations. Those include using video links like the EU's 27 leaders did when they discussed the virus on Tuesday.
Any disruption would put an even greater squeeze on an already limited period for negotiations. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to walk away in June if he doesn't think he has a good chance of a deal. If no agreement is reached, the U.K. and the EU will default to trading on World Trade Organization terms on Jan. 1, 2020.
Gove expressly ruled out any extension to that deadline. “The course is set,” he said. “It would be foolish for anyone to imagine the prime minister isn't going to stick to that timetable and stick to that commitment.”
After the first round of discussions on Britain's future relationship last week, both sides played down the chances of a delay -- but the EU has since canceled all but the most urgent meetings on other issues in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The talks involve more than 100 negotiators from both sides.
Downing Street spokesman James Slack said talks are still due to go ahead as planned, but are under review. Any decisions would have to be taken jointly with the EU, he said.
“As far as I'm aware, the talks are still scheduled to go on without any changes,” European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said.
--With assistance from Thomas Penny and Robert Hutton.
To contact the reporters on this story: Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.net;Joe Mayes in London at jmayes9@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.net, Ben Sills
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
-
A New Samvat Wishlist: Inclusive Prosperity And Human Development
India has strengthened its economic foundations through infrastructure, digital access and enterprise. Its next growth chapter must deepen productivity, create better livelihoods and widen participation in prosperity.
-
Love, Sex Aur Dhokha: The Audacious Plot To Spy On Jensen Huang
A Taipei dinner, a Singapore chip buyer and a suspected Chinese asset: inside the alleged spy operation that got close to NVIDIA's Jensen Huang.
-
Ten Things I Learnt This Samvat
Patience can be a trap. Cheap stocks can stay cheap. Leverage can wipe you out. What did Samvat 2082 teach us? Niraj Shah writes on 10 lessons from the year gone by.
-
Talking Points This Week: Tech Nerves, FII Buying, And A Faraway Banking Shock
The global markets are not shining this Diwali. The exception in the large markets is, India.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
