Britain ‘won’t give up its rights as independent state’ amid EU talks, top ministers agree

A top team of ministers agreed on Thursday that Britain will not give up its rights as an independent state by bending to the demands of the European Union in its talks on a future relationship.

At a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s team was updated on the talks by negotiator David Frost. Britain is not asking for “anything special, bespoke or unique” in the negotiations, just a free-trade agreement, Frost told the ministers.

“Cabinet agreed that we won’t agree to demands for us to give up our rights as an independent state, especially when the EU has shown through their agreements with other countries like Canada that these controls are not necessary,” Reuters quoted Johnson’s spokesman as saying.