AN EU trade boss has claimed Boris Johnson will break his manifesto pledge not to extend the Brexit ‘transition’ period.
Brussels Trade commissioner Phil Hogan insisted Mr Johnson would cave and agree to keep Britain inside the single market and customs union beyond the end of next year.
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This would be during a ‘transition period’, which Mr Johnson had repeatedly insisted would finish at the end of 2020.
The bizarre claim would see Britain continuing to fork out membership fees, as well as still accepting freedom of movement.
Mr Johnson had vowed to get Brexit done by October 31, only to be forced to delay it until January after remainers in parliament refused to support his deal.
Mr Hogan said: “In the past, we saw the way the prime minister promised to die in the ditch rather than extend the deadline for Brexit, only for him to do just that.
“I don’t believe prime minister Johnson will die in the ditch over the timeline for the future relationship either.”
In a shocking intervention, the Irishman also demanded Westminster provide less talk and more action.
He said: “From our point of view it is important that we move from stunt to substance.
“It would be helpful if the focus was on content rather than timetables.
“Too much of the debate in the UK over the past four years was based on the false notion that it is possible to make a clean-break Brexit while retaining all the benefits of EU membership.
“Now that the political deadlock at Westminster is broken the next phase of Brexit needs to be based on realism and hard facts.
“Any ‘having our cake and eat it’ rhetoric will not fly. Both sides need to proceed calmly and coherently.”
However, Mr Hogan was also forced to admit the Prime Minister had delivered a ‘very impressive’ majority at the general election and could now ‘show leadership and use that majority for the good of the nation’.
He will lead the post-Brexit trade talks alongside the bloc’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
It comes after EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen revealed ‘serious concerns’ about Mr Johnson’s plan to sort a trade deal by the end of next year.
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