Brexit

[Muddy Retriever]

He feels we could be forced in to the transition extension having made little progress (extra costs) and more or less held there until we agree to something that favours the EU as we have a clock ticking on Northern Ireland (to avoid a customs border down the Irish Sea) but the EU has all the time in the world as they have an annual fee as long as we stay in the transition extension.

Indeed. They have no incentive to let us go. The whole thing has been concocted to stop the UK making a success of Brexit i.e. having the ability to sign free trade deals and reduce food tariffs so that we can import food more cheaply, which would then undercut protectionist EU farmers. And if they ever did release us from serfdom it would be at a heavy price as the French and Spanish have already made clear. Every country would have a demand to make.