France has shrugged off threats to send in Royal Navy gunships to guard Channel fishing waters, ahead of a feared announcement that talks to avert a no-deal Brexit have failed.
Boris Johnson is poised to tell the country on Sunday that the negotiations are over – plunging trade with the EU into turmoil in 19 days’ time – although a decision to keep talking is still possible.
Ahead of the crunch moment, the risk of clashes in the Channel were rising, after the confirmation that four extra patrol ships will be deployed to intercept EU vessels if necessary.
A UK government spokesperson said it had already “scrambled naval vessels to respond to threats of illegal fishing in our soon-to-be sovereign waters”.
The exercise was part of “live” planning, the spokesperson said, insisting the UK was ready for a no-deal with a blueprint that “maps out every single foreseeable scenario” for post-31 December trouble.
The gunships plan was condemned as “absolutely irresponsible” by Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chair of the Commons defence committee, but other Tory MPs were supportive.
Manfred Webber, a German MEP and leader of the European People’s Party in the European parliament, revealed his fears that the two sides are on an increasingly dangerous path.
“The world is full of enemies of the European way of life, our freedoms and our values. We should fight these enemies together instead of each other,” he tweeted.
But the move was shrugged off by the French government. “Keep calm and carry on”, an Elysee official said, using the famous British wartime slogan.
The prospect of a no-deal Brexit loomed larger on Saturday as the UK government indicated there had been little to no progress on negotiations, which continued into the evening and were due to resume on Sunday morning.
A government source said: “Talks are continuing overnight, but as things stand the offer on the table from the EU remains unacceptable. The prime minister will leave no stone unturned in this process, but he is absolutely clear: any agreement must be fair and respect the fundamental position that the UK will be a sovereign nation in three weeks’ time.”
Meanwhile, Tory grandee Chris Patten said he “fears” for Britain’s future, branding the prime minister “an English nationalist” who has turned his back on traditions of standing up for the union and international cooperation.
“What we’re seeing is Boris Johnson on this runaway train of English exceptionalism and heaven knows where it is going to take us in the end,” Lord Patten said.
There was also criticism of Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, for spending the evening at a Tory fundraiser, to celebrate “how we got Brexit done” at the election, exactly one year ago.
Michel Barnier, the EU chief negotiator, and his UK counterpart David Frost, spent the day talking in Brussels, but with no apparent sign of a breakthrough.
No 10 scrambled to insist it was ready for any outcome, when the transition period ends, saying the EU Exit Operations Committee dealing with Brexit preparations had met more than 200 times.
The government said there were 900 extra border staff, seven inland inspection sites, a round-the-clock Border Operations Centre, support phone lines and a hauliers’ app would help ensure the country would keep moving.
“As with any major change, deal or no deal, there will be challenges and bumps to overcome,” the spokesperson said.
“There will be new rules for those travelling and traders, this would be the case with a free trade agreement – just as it would without one.”
