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BORIS JOHNSON HAS held detailed Brexit talks with Emmanuel Macron as the clock ticks towards the deadline for a Brexit deal.
The Prime Minister and the French president spoke by phone today, apparently only days before an agreement is reached on a future trade deal.
Johnson told the key EU leader that he would “explore all avenues” to secure a deal, but was prepared to leave the Brexit transition period at the end of the year on Aussie-style terms with Brussels if necessary.
Both sides have said that an agreement needs to be reached in October to ensure sufficient time for ratification.
Johnson has previously said that he wants a deal on a free trade deal before next week’s EU summit in the Belgian capital on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Number 10 said: “The Prime Minister… set out the latest state of the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
“It confirmed the UK’s commitment to explore all avenues to reach an agreement.
“He underlined that a deal was better for both parties, but also that the UK was prepared to end the transition period on Australia-style terms if no deal could be reached.
“The Prime Minister emphasized that progress must be made in the coming days to bridge the important gaps, especially in the areas of fishing and equal conditions, through the process of intense talks between the main negotiators agreed with the president of the European Commission. .
“The leaders agreed to stay in touch on the issue.”
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The phone conversations came before UK and EU negotiators resumed informal negotiations next week in Brussels, and time is running out to agree on a post-Brexit trade deal.
Chief negotiators Michel Barnier and David Frost met yesterday for face-to-face talks in London.
The two leaders also discussed the coronavirus crisis in their bilateral discussions.
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