British media on Saturday suggested continuing division and uncertainty over Brexit, in spite of the country formally leaving the European Union late Friday.
“What next?” asked the centre-left i newspaper, while The Telegraph said Johnson “ramps up pressure” over negotiating an agreement on future relations with Brussels.
“Make leave, not war,” the pro-Brexit Sun, one of Britain’s most popular tabloids, said.
“Brexit got done,” its tabloid rival Daily Mail’s lead online headline read.
Little will change during an 11-month Brexit transitional phase, as the two sides discuss future arrangements for trade, security and political cooperation.
Officials in Brussels warn that the timeline is extremely ambitious, however Johnson has ruled out an extension.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s top foreign affairs official, said he had appointed a new ambassador to London, when Britain becomes a “third country” for the EU.
Britain’s EU lawmakers left the European Parliament on Friday, while British flags were removed from EU buildings.
“While we regret the decision of the UK to leave our Union, we fully respect this choice and are ready to move forward,” Borrell said in a statement.
The Telegraph said Johnson is “preparing to impose full customs and border checks on all European goods entering the UK after Brexit.”
“The toughened approach is designed to give UK negotiators greater leverage against Brussels,” it reported.
The Times on Friday said Johnson suggested previously that he could accept EU-Canada-style free trade deal.
This would remove almost all tariffs on manufacturing, agriculture and the fisheries trade, while protecting service industries.
