EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier speaks during a debate on future relation between the EU and UK at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 December, 2020. The UK has called for a ‘substantial shift’ from the EU in negotiations for a post-Brexit deal.
(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Britain has called for a “substantial shift” from the EU in order for a post-Brexit trade deal to succeed in the remaining days of negotiations.
In Brussels, talks are continuing over the weekend. However, Government sources have told the Press Association that it is looking increasingly likely that the Brexit transition period will come to its end on 31 December without a deal.
“We need to get any deal right and based on terms which respect what the British people voted for,” one source said.
“We’re continuing to try every possible path to an agreement, but without a substantial shift from the commission we will be leaving on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms on December 31,” they said.
The talks come as the European Parliament’s Sunday evening deadline for any deal to ratified before the transition period ends quickly approaches.
Good morning and welcome to our blog following the latest on Brexit negotiations.
Chantal Da Silva20 December 2020 08:18
France’s European affairs minister says Sunday unlikely to be hard deadline
France’s European affairs minister, Clement Beaune, has said Sunday is unlikely to be as hard a deadline for negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal as has been set out.
“It would be normal not to say, ‘well, it’s Sunday evening, so let’s wrap it up and sacrifice everything,’” he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
“It may be hard and sometimes tough to understand, but it’s necessary to take the time and, at any rate, not to sacrifice our interests under the pressure of a calendar,” he said.
European Parliament has set Sunday evening as the deadline for a deal to be ratified before the transition period ends on 31 December.
Chantal Da Silva20 December 2020 08:35
MPs on standby to return to Westminster if deal struck
MPs in the UK are on standby to make their way back to Westminster from their holiday break if a post-Brexit agreement can be struck before the year’s end.
Negotiations are underway in Brussels, with the European Parliament setting Sunday evening as a deadline for any deal to ratified before the transition period ends on 31 December.
So far, there have been few signs that such a deal will be struck before the Sunday night deadline.
Chantal Da Silva20 December 2020 08:59
