COMMUNISTS have dismissed the extended Brexit negotiations as “confected theatre” and predicted that the government will eventually capitulate to the European Union’s demands.

It was reported yesterday that the trade talks could go right down to the wire on December 31 after missing Sunday’s deadline for a trade deal.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that an agreement could be reached this week if Britain compromises by allowing EU member states’ fishing fleets continued access to this country’s waters.

Fishing is one of the three remaining sticking points, along with a so-called “level playing field” for British access to the EU single market and rules on governance and settling disputes.

Addressing the Communist Party’s executive at the weekend, Alex Gordon predicted that Boris Johnson’s government would “sell out” on the three points to maintain the City of London’s access to EU financial markets.

Mr Gordon, who is a member of the party’s executive, rejected the basis of the EU level playing field demand and said that it was “frankly incredible” that the capitalist world’s largest trading bloc and fifth-biggest economy could not agree to frictionless trading. 

The CP executive warned that continuation of the level playing field and restrictions on state aid would be used to “block progressive policies for public investment, public ownership and balanced economic development.”