UK agrees 'independence' goal for post-Brexit EU talks

• EU ministers adopted their own joint negotiating mandate earlier Tuesday. The talks will begin in Brussels next Monday, the spokesman said.

LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his top ministers on Tuesday formally agreed Britain's objectives and red lines in post-Brexit trade negotiations with the European Union, his spokesman said.

Details are due to be published on Thursday, but the primary objective is to ensure Britain's "economic and political independence" after the Brexit transition phase ends on December 31.

EU ministers adopted their own joint negotiating mandate earlier Tuesday. The talks will begin in Brussels next Monday, the spokesman said.

A second round of negotiations has also been pencilled in to take place in London later in March.

Britain ended almost half a century of EU membership on January 31, but both sides agreed a transition phase until December 31 to allow them to agree a new trade and security relationship.

The EU Exit Strategy (XS) cabinet sub-committee chaired by Johnson "has just approved the UK's negotiating mandate", his spokesman said.

"It was a very smooth process to agree our approach, which will restore our economic and political independence and is based on other existing free trade agreements between the EU and like minded sovereign nations.

"We look forward to engaging with the EU constructively following the publication of their mandate."

The UK's primary objective in the negotiations "is to ensure we restore our economic and political independence on January 1, 2021," the spokesman continued.

"At the end of this year we will be leaving the (EU's) single market and customs union and taking back control of our own laws and our own trade."

Johnson was due to meet Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in London on Tuesday as part of his diplomatic efforts with EU leaders before talks commence.