UK may quit EU trade talks if no 'broad outline' of deal by June

UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to withdraw from trade talks with the EU, if “good progress” is not made within four months.
The government seeks to have a draft outline of the trade deal by June, so as to finalise the deal by September, as it will not extend the transition period.
The country’s negotiating mandate for the next-phase of Brexit presented on Thursday, says that “the Government will need to decide whether the UK’s attention should move away from negotiations and focus solely on continuing domestic preparations to exit the transition period in an orderly fashion,” if that’s not the case at the June meeting.
As UK left the bloc on 31 January, an 11-month transition period begun, during which, the the two sides will need to achieve a trade deal. The first round of post-Brexit talks will begin on Monday.
Downing Street says it wants “regulatory freedom” from the EU,” and that the country won’t follow “high alignment” rules. Future EU-UK relationship will be “based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals, with both parties respecting one another’s legal autonomy,” according to UK’s negotiating mandate.
Yet, the European Commission slams the possibility of a Canada-style agreement and seeks the ability to impose some tariffs, and a level playing field. More thorny issues follow; EU access to UK waters for fishing rights, state aid, the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in dispute resolution and environmental standards.
“We will not agree to any obligations for our laws to be aligned with the EU’s, or for the EU’s institutions, including the Court of Justice, to have any jurisdiction in the UK,” says the mandate.
EU Commission’s spokesperson, Dana Spinant commented that “the Commission maintains its capacity to prepare for a no-deal” as it prepares for “a positive result of those negotiations”.