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During the first round of negotiations between the EU and the UK in early March, the two sides were cordial but both agreed there were still “very serious divergences". The second round of trade talks, scheduled for March 18, was postponed in light of COVID-19. Mr Barnier announced last week that he had coronavirus, while Britain's negotiator David Frost entered self-quarantine the following day after showing symptoms.

Despite the logistical challenges of conducting sensitive discussions via video conference, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said talks with the EU will continue. According to the BBC, Cabinet office minister Michael Gove will meet EU officials via video link this afternoon but the two sides are likely to clash once again. Brussels still insists on maintaining its current fishing rights in British waters and wants London to agree to a number of EU regulations, including environmental standards, workers’ rights and state aid rules. On the other hand, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is demanding the right to diverge from the bloc’s rules in order to strike trade agreements around the world. Mr Frost said regulatory divergence is “the point of the whole Brexit project” and anything less “simply fails to see the point of what we are doing". However, unearthed reports reveal that before becoming Britain's top Brexit negotiator, Mr Frost suggested the opposite as he claimed the UK will ultimately have to inherit the EU's trading rules at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) table. After Britain voted to leave in June 2016, Mr Frost, a long time ambassador, wrote a column for The Telegraph, in which he praised the role of then-International Trade Secretary Liam Fox.

Brexit U-turn: How David Frost said UK will 'have to inherit EU's trade rules'

Britain's top negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier

Mr Frost argued that even though at the time Mr Fox could not negotiate in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and sign trade deals, the former minister had a very important job: to mark a presence in the world. He also urged Mr Fox to make clear that, "although we will have to inherit the EU’s trading rules at the WTO in the short run, we intend rapidly to reduce as many as possible of these tariffs and quotas to zero". Mr Frost added: "That would be a powerful statement of confidence in Britain’s openness to the world and the ability to sustain ourselves as a global trader. "Some argue that this will stop us getting good trade deals. "Why should other countries get rid of their tariffs if we have already scrapped ours? I don’t buy this argument. "Tariffs tend to be the easy bit of free-trade agreements. JUST IN: How much money 'German banks REALLY earned from Greek debt crisis'

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen

Cabinet minister Michael Gove

"What makes the difference is agreement on regulations and product standards, services, and investment. "By moving on tariffs we can focus on the things that really matter." In a different column published a few days after the Brexit referendum, Mr Johnson’s special adviser also did not rule out re-joining the EU after a transition period. He wrote: "First, we need to be realistic about how to negotiate Brexit. "It will be our most complex negotiation ever. We can’t afford to get it wrong. Whole industries could be destroyed if we do so." Adopting a Norway status immediately as a transitional arrangement, Mr Frost wrote, would have been the best option. DON'T MISS:

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