The UK’s chief negotiator David Frost will restart Brexit discussions with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier to drive a free-trade agreement but warns that the UK will prepare for alternatives, such as an Australia-style agreement with the bloc, if negotiations reach a stalemate.

“Throughout, we have listened carefully to our EU counterparts, signalled flexibility where possible to move the talks forward, and tabled new proposals to make progress. But we have repeatedly made clear that key elements of our position derive from the fundamentals of being a sovereign state, and it’s time for the EU to fully recognise this reality,” Frost said in a statement on 8 September.