LONDON, October 20 (Reuters) –

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government sees no point in talking with the European Union on a Brexit trade deal until the bloc starts to treat Britain as a sovereign state, a junior business minister said on Tuesday.

“We are trying to get a deal,” Nadhim Zahawi told Sky, adding as long as the EU “negotiate with us as a sovereign.”

“Until you make it very clear that you are willing to negotiate with us as an equal, as a sovereign, then there’s no point simply just paying lip service saying you know ‘we’ll intensify’ negotiations,” he said.