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Boris Johnson has confirmed that he has been rejected again in his efforts to speak to European Union leaders as he works to secure new trade terms.
Senior ministers have said in recent days that the current bottleneck in post-Brexit trade talks requires a political solution, and the British prime minister last week offered to tour European capitals to settle remaining differences.
That proposal was rejected and Johnson confirmed on Sunday that the European Commission had once again blocked his attempts to enter into a direct dialogue with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron as negotiations enter at 11 o’clock.
The two leaders are seen as powerful in approving any EU compromise that may be necessary to ratify an agreement.
But Brussels insists that the Commission is leading the negotiations on behalf of the 27 member states, so Johnson should continue to deal with top European official, Ursula von der Leyen.
Johnson and the president of the European Commission, Ms Von der Leyen, agreed during a phone call on Sunday to continue trade negotiations, extending the deadline that had previously been set to the end of the weekend.
They agreed to go an “extra effort” in an attempt to avoid a no-deal scenario on January 1, when the transition agreements come to an end.
Speaking from Downing Street after the call, Johnson told broadcasters: “I have repeated my offer, that if it is necessary to speak to other capitals, I am very happy to do so.
“The Commission is very determined to keep the negotiations as they have been, between us and the Commission. It’s okay.”
Germany’s Ms Merkel is a close ally of Ms Von der Leyen, who previously served in her cabinet, while the French president is seen as having an important role to play in settling disputes between the UK and the EU on fishing rights.
Macron has reportedly threatened to veto a trade deal between the UK and the EU after expressing dissatisfaction with the new quota terms being given to his fishermen.
British Chancellor Dominic Raab made clear Sunday that the UK government feels there needs to be a political movement among European leaders rather than a technical breakthrough in talks between top negotiators.
David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier resumed talks in the Belgian capital at 8 a.m. on Sunday.
Mr. Raab told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge Sunday show: “We want to be treated like any other independent democracy worth its salt.
“If the EU can accept that at the political level, then there are many reasons to be confident, but there is still, I think, a long way to go.”
The Telegraph reported that last week Johnson was blocked three times from speaking directly to German and French leaders as the EU sought to maintain a united front on the Brexit talks.
The newspaper said the Conservative Party leader raised the possibility of a meeting with Merkel and Macron during a dinner in Brussels with Ms Von der Leyen on Wednesday.
The top European official is said to have told Johnson that she could make the offer, but that she knew it would be rejected.
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