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BRUSSELS sparked fury this morning after using the fate of desperate Channel migrants as a Brexit bargaining chip - as a deal remained on the brink over a huge row over fish.

The EU is refusing to help stop small boat crossings until Britain caves on a slew of unreasonable trade talk demands, sparking a major backlash.

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The latest round of talks broke up today without any progress again, sparking a bitter war of words between negotiators Michel Barnier and David Frost.

Sources said the bloc could use the crisis - which Britain has long been pushing the EU for action on - as part of the ongoing Brexit negotiations on a future trade deal.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith fumed: '"hile Brussels plays games, migrants die in the channel because of their pathetic politicking."

Privately Ministers accused Eurocrats of having "blood on their hands" as the latest round of talks ended in a bitter war of words and sniping.

Nearly 5,000 migrants have attempted to make the dangerous crossing to Britain from France this year alone - double that of the total last year.

Britain wants the bloc to help stop the tide of attempts by taking them back to French shores. It's unclear what will happen at the end of the transition period this year when Britain wants to reclaim full control of its border.

Despite the tragic death of a young man in the Channel this month, Brussels cheifs are set to drag their feet on reaching an agreement - and could bring the migrant crisis in as leverage.

A EU diplomatic source working on migration told Reuters: "The UK has interest in this. We can wait.

"The 27 are not that worried. Of that, 25 do not really care at all. France and Belgium can be to some extent preoccupied, but far less than the UK is."

A second diplomat said: If they dont get the overall deal - they dont have a migration deal either.

If they do go for a deal - they may get something on migration as well.

But other sources stressed that fish and EU rules were likely to be more of a sticking point for both warring sides.

The French fear they will end up "on the hook" for all returns from the UK if there's no agreement on asylum as part of the wider trade deal.

British negotiators want any pact to ensure we can carry on sending back migrants to all EU countries after Brexit.

But they don't want it to entirely replicate Brussels' controversial returns rules, which the Home Office says are open to abuse by "activist lawyers".

The EU's contentious Dublin Regulation says Member States can return asylum seekers to the country where they first entered the bloc

Brexit discussions hit the buffers this week as Brussels insisted yet again on Britain signing up to the bloc's rules on state aid - or a deal can't be done.

The UK accused Michel Barnier of "unnecessarily" blocking progress on a Brexit deal as trade talks broke up in acrimony.

Both sides issued gloomy statements following the latest discussions, and a tense dinner earlier this week.

Britain blamed the EU for standing firm - effectively blocking further progress.

Unless we agree to roll over and accept their laws, a deal may not be made at all, Mr Frost suggested.

Mr Frost said today: The EU is still insisting not only that we must accept continuity with EU state aid and fisheries policy, but also that this must be agreed before any further substantive work can be done in any other area of the negotiation, including on legal texts."

He said this blocker makes it "unnecessarily difficult to make progress" and "there is a lot of detail to work through" with little time to get it done.

"Time is short for both sides," he added, vowing to work hard to reach a deal if it's possible.

And when the EU accepts Britain is seeking a free trade deal just like other countries around the world have, it will speed up talks.

A senior source close to the negotiations accused the EU of deliberately putting "obstacles" in the way of the talks.

They stressed that now was the time to move to text-based talks but Brussels were refusing to engage with the draft text they had put forward.

Michel Barnier said today he was "disappointed" by the lack of progress and lashed out at the UK for wasting time - declaring the talks are now "going backwards".

And EU rules are "non-negotiable" if Britain wants continued access to European markets, he said.

He thinks a deal is "unlikely" but Britain is more optimistic, saying its "still possible" but admitting it "will not be easy" to achieve.

The UK wants a deal wrapped up by September, but with talks on the rocks and both sides getting frustrated, it's not set to happen.

Privately British officials said they are "frustrated" with the "strange" approach taken by eurocrats.

No 10 is open to the possibility of scheduling extra rounds in the Autumn and will do "anything necessary" to get a deal over the line if one is close.

Sources said despite the fractious state of the talks and their different backgrounds the two chief negotiators get on well.

One said: "They've struck up quite a good relationship. All the meetings they have are courteous and friendly.

"Sometimes they say quite difficult things to each other, but they keep the process going."

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The next round of discussions comes on 7 September, where British officials have pinned their hope on pushing through the deadlock.

Britain will leave the transition period at the end of the year whatever happens, Boris Johnson has said.

If there's no EU deal, Britain will go onto World Trade Organisation terms with them instead - which could mean extra tarriffs.

Originally posted here:
Fury as EU use migrant crisis in Brexit talks as deal on the brink over huge fish row - The Sun