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A trade agreement between Britain and the EU is still possible, stresses Michel Barnier, chief negotiator from Brussels.
Boris Johnson had previously said that the deadline for the talks would end on Sunday, but he has since agreed an extension with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The two men met over dinner last week to discuss the important differences between the EU and the UK.
Mr Barnier has now informed the diplomats of the 27 EU countries of the state of negotiations before resuming talks with his British counterpart Lord David Frost. Negotiations on fishing rights and a level playing field are currently at an impasse.
In his speech to the journalists, Mr Barnier said that the two issues have not yet been resolved, but he added that an agreement is still possible. He hasn’t mentioned the third stumbling block of the board, which suggests it’s not a stumbling block anymore.
The United Kingdom’s current trade agreements with the EU expire at the end of this month, which means that any new agreements must be in force before 1 January. The month of January must be in effect. Otherwise, customs duties and quotas will be imposed and bureaucracy will increase, causing further damage to the economy.
said Economics Minister Alok Sharma: We have always said that the transition period will end at the end of December and that we will not continue discussions after that.
The deadline for the talks on Sunday has been extended (Photo: Reuters)
Boris Johnson was in Brussels last week (photo: No10 Downing St).
Any agreement we have will have to go through Parliament, so that’s fine.
Mr Johnson and Mrs von der Leyen agreed on Sunday to continue their search for a solution. The Prime Minister said after the phone call that Britain would not leave the negotiating table and that where there is life, there is hope.
Sir Keir Starmer now urges him to keep his promise of a Brexit agreement, as the Labour Party leader has described the negotiations as an extortion in the making.
In his speech today on LBC radio Sir Keir said that it is in his national interest to reach an agreement with the EU. He moved on: Both parties really need to get moving in the coming days.
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We all want to make a deal over the line, we’re against eavesdropping on the phone. The Prime Minister entered the country a year ago promising to carry out Brexit.
He sort of said he’d made a deal, that he had to keep it. But both sides have to keep negotiating, both sides have to make compromises. We need to come to an agreement in the next few days.
Sir Keir was then asked by an interlocutor whether the Labour Party would call Johnson to account if he failed to reach an agreement. He said: I can tell you that we will act in the national interest, and no agreement is in the national interest.
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