Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the Andrew Marr show the week ahead is "a wake up call for the EU" and that questions of fishing and state aid are "the only two points holding us back" in EU-UK negotiations.
His comments followed UK Brexit negotiator David Frost’s statement to the Mail on Sunday that the Government is not "scared" of walking away from talks without a trade deal at the end of this year.
Commenting, Best for Britain CEO Naomi Smith said:
“All this bluster cannot disguise the fact that two key issues remain: firstly, walking away without a deal could be catastrophic for businesses and families. And, secondly, EU-UK negotiations are now at the point where the Prime Minister must become directly involved.
“Raab’s assertion that fishing and state aid are the ‘only’ issues holding us back is no more reason to celebrate than being told a broken engine and lack of brakes are the only issues affecting your car.
“The clock is ticking and these issues must be resolved at a political level because, ultimately, the Government will view any concessions and agreements through a political lens.”