Johnson tells EU to 'get on with' Brexit negotiations
The Foreign Secretary calls for the pace to stepped up despite fears failure to reach a deal on a transition would hit firms.
Monday 23 October 2017 15:42, UK
The Foreign Secretary has called on the UK's European partners in the Brexit negotiations to "get on with it" after British businesses said a transition deal was required as quickly as possible.
Boris Johnson said now it was time to press ahead after the remaining 27 member countries agreed to begin internal preparations for the next phase of talks at a summit last week.
He said that a deal that benefited people and firms on both sides of the English Channel could be worked out if those taking part in the discussions "think very creatively and very positively".
It came amid concerns about the possibility of no deal being reached within the time period allowed under Article 50.
the Government must secure a deal setting out a transitional period after Brexit "as close as possible [to] the status quo" in the coming months.
They said if he does not, some businesses may be forced to relocate jobs out of the UK.
Mr Johnson was among those suggesting last week that Britain could do "very well" under a "no-deal" arrangement.
The Foreign Secretary, speaking at an , said: "I'm glad that at the Council in Brussels they seemed more positive, frankly, than I thought they were going to be, to judge by some of the anticipatory drum roll of that council.
"They have given a fair wind to the idea of themselves now discussing the new trade deal or however they want to proceed.
"I suggest humbly to our friends and partners in Brussels: Now is the time to get on with it."
"They should grip it, get on with it and start thinking about the future.
"I'm sure that we can both think very creatively and very positively about how to come to arrangements that suit our constituents on both sides of the Channel and benefit businesses not just in this (country) but in Paris and Frankfurt and across the whole of Europe."
The business groups' private letter to Mr Davis, which is believed not to have been sent yet, was reportedly signed by the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce, manufacturing trade body EEF, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses.
Between them, the groups represent businesses that employ millions.
The letter said: "Agreement (on a transition) is needed as soon as possible, as companies are preparing to make serious decisions at the start of 2018, which will have consequences for jobs and investment in the UK."
Theresa May used her keynote Brexit speech in Florence last month to flesh out her vision for leaving the EU, including a transition period of roughly two years to allow firms to prepare.
But there has been concern over the slow pace of the first phase of negotiations towards an agreement on the Brexit bill, EU citizens' rights and the Ireland/Northern Ireland border.
Last week, at an EU summit, , dealing with trade.
There have been suggestions, which Jean-Claude Juncker's has said he wasn't involved in leaking, that
Downing Street said the details of the "implementation period" would have to be discussed alongside the final trade deal.