The deadline for trade negotiations on Brexit is coming as key issues remain to be resolved

The POST-BREXIT TRADE talks have entered their final day, with the UK and European Union continuing their latest efforts to find a breakthrough on a deal before the weekend’s deadline.

Negotiators were due to continue discussions until dawn, while Boris Johnson will speak again with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later today, despite pessimism on both sides.

British negotiator David Frost arrived at the European Commission headquarters this morning to see his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier.

British government sources warned that the offer on the EU table remains “unacceptable” for the UK, with the country on the brink of a no-deal Brexit that is expected to cost jobs and force food prices up. .

Trade talks remain stalled over the thorny issues of fishing rights and the so-called level playing field “ratchet” that would bind the UK to future EU rules.

Johnson and von der Leyen had a dinner meeting in Brussels during the week in which they both agreed that a firm decision on the future of the negotiations was needed at the end of the weekend.

The outlook after yesterday’s discussions was described as “very difficult”, but officials said the prime minister is determined to explore all options to secure a free trade agreement.

A British government source said: “The talks continue overnight, but as things stand, the offer on the EU table remains unacceptable.

“The prime minister will leave no stone unturned in this process, but it is absolutely clear: any agreement must be fair and respect the fundamental position that the UK will be a sovereign nation in three weeks.”

The prime minister is expected to give a press conference or issue a recorded statement to update the nation once he finishes a call with the top European official.

Johnson and von der Leyen have cautioned that a no-deal outcome seems more likely than a deal in trade negotiations.

With Johnson describing a no-deal as “very, very likely”, the British government has stepped up preparations for the exit of the single market when the transition deals finalize on December 31, with Johnson taking personal control to ensure the country is ready.

He leads a ‘Super XO’ committee to oversee preparations as ministers seek to ensure that food, medicines, including coronavirus vaccines, and other critical products can continue to arrive in the country uninterrupted next year.

In a move likely to incite EU leaders, a government spokesman revealed that the UK had “conducted live exercises” involving the fight against “warships to respond to threats of illegal fishing in our future waters. sovereigns “as part of preparedness efforts.

This follows confirmation from the Ministry of Defense yesterday that four Royal Navy gunboats have been put on standby to protect British waters from EU trawlers if there is no deal, an announcement that has been greeted angrily by some conservatives. high level.

Reports also suggest that ministers are considering beefing up the Navy’s powers in legislation to authorize them to tackle and arrest fishermen who break post-Brexit rules.

Fishing

Brussels has called for the status quo on fishing rights to continue for 12 months in the event that no deal is reached, a request that appears to have been rejected after the government revealed plans to increase patrols.

Johnson, in a speech delivered yesterday at a climate change summit, appeared to criticize French President Emmanuel Macron on the fishing line.

Macron is said to have threatened to veto a deal between the UK and the EU after expressing dissatisfaction with the new terms of the quotas that are being given to French fishermen.

In his closing remarks, Johnson thanked the co-host of the summit, Macron, adding that he knew the president “shares my great interest in protecting the ecosystems of our seas.”