<p>Britain's chief Brexit negotiator talked tough ahead of a crucial round of post-Brexit trade talks, saying the UK was “not afraid to walk away” if the European Union does not give ground on key issues.</p>.<p>David Frost told the Mail on Sunday newspaper that Britain wants “to get back the powers to control our borders and that is the most important thing.”</p>.<p>Frost and EU negotiator Michel Barnier are due to meet in London on Tuesday for the eighth round of negotiations since Britain left the now 27-nation bloc on January 31.</p>.<p>That political departure will be followed by an economic break when an 11-month transition period ends on December 31 and Britain leaves the EU's single market and customs union.</p>.<p>The two sides are trying to strike a new deal on trade, security and a host of other issues, but talks are deadlocked.</p>.<p>The key sticking points are European boats' access to UK fishing waters and state aid to industries. The EU is determined to ensure a “level playing field” for competition so British firms can't undercut the bloc's environmental or workplace standards or pump public money into UK industries.</p>.<p>Britain accuses the bloc of making demands that it has not imposed on other countries it has free trade deals with, such as Canada.</p>.<p>Frost said Britain was “not going to compromise on the fundamentals of having control over our own laws.”</p>.<p>“We are not going to accept level playing field provisions that lock us in to the way the EU do things,” he said.</p>.<p>Both sides have downplayed the chances of a deal, though some of that rhetoric is muscle-flexing before crucial weeks of talks.</p>.<p>Barnier said last week he was “worried and disappointed” by the lack of progress and said the UK had not “engaged constructively.”</p>.<p>If there is not a deal, tariffs and other obstacles to trade will be imposed from January 1.</p>.<p>British freight firms warned last week there could be logjams at ports and supplies of key goods in Britain could be “severely disrupted” if there was no trade deal.</p>
<p>Britain's chief Brexit negotiator talked tough ahead of a crucial round of post-Brexit trade talks, saying the UK was “not afraid to walk away” if the European Union does not give ground on key issues.</p>.<p>David Frost told the Mail on Sunday newspaper that Britain wants “to get back the powers to control our borders and that is the most important thing.”</p>.<p>Frost and EU negotiator Michel Barnier are due to meet in London on Tuesday for the eighth round of negotiations since Britain left the now 27-nation bloc on January 31.</p>.<p>That political departure will be followed by an economic break when an 11-month transition period ends on December 31 and Britain leaves the EU's single market and customs union.</p>.<p>The two sides are trying to strike a new deal on trade, security and a host of other issues, but talks are deadlocked.</p>.<p>The key sticking points are European boats' access to UK fishing waters and state aid to industries. The EU is determined to ensure a “level playing field” for competition so British firms can't undercut the bloc's environmental or workplace standards or pump public money into UK industries.</p>.<p>Britain accuses the bloc of making demands that it has not imposed on other countries it has free trade deals with, such as Canada.</p>.<p>Frost said Britain was “not going to compromise on the fundamentals of having control over our own laws.”</p>.<p>“We are not going to accept level playing field provisions that lock us in to the way the EU do things,” he said.</p>.<p>Both sides have downplayed the chances of a deal, though some of that rhetoric is muscle-flexing before crucial weeks of talks.</p>.<p>Barnier said last week he was “worried and disappointed” by the lack of progress and said the UK had not “engaged constructively.”</p>.<p>If there is not a deal, tariffs and other obstacles to trade will be imposed from January 1.</p>.<p>British freight firms warned last week there could be logjams at ports and supplies of key goods in Britain could be “severely disrupted” if there was no trade deal.</p>