Boris Johnson To Meet EU Chief In Bid To Save Trade Deal

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels later this week to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a last-ditch bid to reach a post-Brexit trade deal.

It comes after a 90-minute phone call between the two leaders on Monday failed to produce a breakthrough.

In a joint statement, they said the conditions for a deal were “not there”.

“Significant differences” remained on fishing, business competition rules and governance of any deal, they added.

“We asked our chief negotiators and their teams to prepare an overview of the remaining differences to be discussed in a physical meeting in Brussels in the coming days,” the leaders said.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Wednesday or Friday appeared the “most likely” dates.

Labour welcomed the decision to keep talking, but shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the prime minister should have been “more engaged in these negotiations months ago rather than leaving it to the 11th hour”.