Brexit Trade Talks Sees New Push To Reach Agreement

Negotiators from the UK and EU are to begin a new push to reach agreement on post-Brexit trade after both sides agreed “to go the extra mile”.

A UK source said the “process still has some legs” but Boris Johnson has warned a no-deal is the “most likely” outcome.

A deadline to finish talks had been set for Sunday, but the prime minister and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen agreed to an extension.

The pair discussed “major unresolved topics” during a “constructive” call.

They agreed to tell negotiators to carry on talks in Brussels “to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached”.

They did not say how long these latest talks would continue, but the ultimate deadline is 31 December, and time must be allowed for the UK and European Parliaments to vote on any deal that emerges before then.

The major stumbling blocks in negotiations have been over fishing rights, a level playing field for businesses to operate and on how any agreement should be policed.

The UK and EU have been carrying out negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal since March and are attempting to secure one before the so-called transition period ends on 31 December – when the two sides would move to trading on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.