EU tough on UK: You can't have your cake and eat it too

Today, the European Union (EU) harshly told Great Britain, in a situation where reaching an agreement between Brussels and London on trade relations after Brexit is increasingly uncertain, that it "cannot have its cake and eat it too". The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, refused to comply with British insistence that the EU fundamentally change its negotiating position and make greater concessions to Great Britain's demands.

Instead, Michel said that if the UK wanted broad access to the markets of the 27-nation bloc, it would also have to leave open waters for EU fishermen, something the government in London has said it does not want.

In a fiery speech to the European Parliament, Michel said: "Yes, we want to keep access to UK waters for our fishermen. Just as you want to keep access to our huge and diverse markets for your companies".

London and Brussels have been trying to reach a new trade deal since Britain left the EU on January 31.

The talks broke down last Sunday as each side demanded that the other compromise in order to reach a deal.

The EU said it was happy for negotiations to continue, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that negotiations were over and that Britain must prepare to leave the EU without a trade deal unless there is a fundamental change in the position of the 27-nation bloc.