Michael Gove claims there is ‘no point’ negotiating Brexit deal with the EU unless they make a ‘fundamental change’

Michael Gove has declared there is “no point” in negotiating with the EU unless they make a “fundamental change” in their position on Brexit.

Michael Gove said there was "no point" carrying on negotiations without big changes from the EU

Speaking in the Commons today, he declared the UK will “take back control” on December 31 whatever happens.

Declaring it was the EU’s fault that no agreement had been made, Mr Gove insisted he still wanted a deal and urged them to take negotiations seriously.

He said: "If the EU wants to change this situation and I devoutly hope it will, it needs to make a fundamental change in its approach and make clear its answer. It has to be serious about talking intensively on all issues and trying to reach a conclusion and I hope it will.

"But it also needs to accept that it's dealing with an independent and sovereign country now.

"We've tried to be clear from the start that we would not be able to reach an agreement inconsistent with that status and I do not think you could accuse us of keeping that a secret.

"And yet the proposals that the EU have discussed with us in recent weeks, which it presents as compromises, are simply not consistent with our new sovereign status, certainly not yet.”

Mr Gove claimed the UK Government had been willing to conduct talks “every day”, something that was not the case for their European counterparts.

He explained: “This intensification was not forthcoming.

"The EU was only willing to conduct negotiations on fewer than half the days available and would not engage on all of the outstanding issues.

"Moreover, the EU refused to discuss legal texts in any area as it has done since the summer. Indeed it's almost incredible to our negotiators we have reached this point in the negotiations without any common legal texts of any kind."

The prominent Brexiteer insisted any further trade talks would be "meaningless" unless the EU changes its position.

He said: "There's no point in negotiations proceeding as long as the EU sticks with this position. Such talks would be meaningless and would take us no nearer to finding a workable solution.

“We remain absolutely committed to securing a Canada-style FTA, but there does need to be a fundamental change in approach from the EU if the process is to get back on track.

"We have not come so far to falter now when we are so close to reclaiming our sovereignty"

His comments came at the same time the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier insisted the EU remained willing to find a solution.

He tweeted: “As stated by President @vonderleyen on Friday, I confirmed that the EU remains available to intensify talks in London this week, on all subjects, and based on legal texts.

“We now wait for the UK’s reaction."

Mr Gove’s statement sparked a furious response from MPs, including the former PM Theresa May.

She accused the UK Government of being "resigned to no deal", and failing to mention security, prompting Mr Gove to respond: “No deal is better than a bad deal."