Brexit: the United Kingdom says it is ready for a failure of negotiations

Pressed by the European Union to clarify its intentions, the United Kingdom assured Wednesday, October 7 that it wanted to reach an agreement on their post-Brexit trade relationship by mid-October, however saying it was "

" for a failure of negotiations , potentially devastating for the economy.

Read also: London and the EU speed up post-Brexit negotiations

The UK left the EU on Jan.31, but continues to apply EU rules until Dec.31, a transition period during which London and Brussels hope to agree on a trade deal governing their future relationship.

Otherwise, a sudden break in trade would further shake economies already weakened by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

During a telephone interview with the President of the European Council Charles Michel supposed to draw up the "

" of the negotiations, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson "

", indicated Downing Street in a statement.

But he added that "

no deal'

", according to the same source.

Negotiations resumed in London on Wednesday with the hope of being successful by the end of October, despite little progress so far.

These informal exchanges are to continue until Friday and a meeting is scheduled that day between European chief negotiators Michel Barnier and British chief David Frost, according to European sources.

"

Playing cards on the table

"

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, called on London to "

" in the discussions.

"

" he tweeted, with Europeans blaming London for still not having entered the hard core of the negotiations and thus letting the specter hang. of a "

".

So far, there has been little noticeable progress in reconciling views on the three troubling topics - fisheries, fair competition and the governance of the deal - after nine rounds of negotiations in London and Brussels .

"

" said a European source.

Read also: Boris Johnson wants to make the United Kingdom "Saudi Arabia of wind power"

Time is running out: the Europeans want to reach an agreement by the end of October, the British having even set the deadline earlier, on October 15, date of a European summit in Brussels - to which Boris Johnson, as leader of a countries no longer belonging to the EU, is not invited.

During a videoconference interview on Saturday, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the British head of government had agreed to speed up negotiations in an attempt to reach an agreement.

An agreement still far away

According to British negotiator David Frost, the two sides are still "

" from a compromise for the moment, because of "

" which remain, he indicated during a hearing in the House of Lords .

“

” Downing Street said.

Negotiations are due to resume next week in Brussels, with London once again saying it wants to work "

" and quickly to reach an agreement, according to Boris Johnson's spokesman.

However, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, said on Twitter that "it is

".

Failure to reach an agreement on the future relationship would have potentially disastrous economic consequences, with trade governed by World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and its high tariffs.

Read also: Arriving at a post-Brexit trade agreement depends on Europeans, according to Boris Johnson

The ratification of a possible agreement also remains threatened by the tensions which have arisen following the British bill which calls into question some of the commitments made in the divorce treaty, concerning Northern Ireland.