Brexit: Are the chances of a trade deal increasing again?

When is a deadline not a deadline? When it has something to do with Brexit, maybe.

Both parties in this long, long process have agreed to continue rather than disconnect today.

A joint statement emerged just before noon with a much more positive tone than anything else that came out late, and did not include the usual kind of warning of large gaps between the two parties.

The embroidery on Thursday and Friday seems to thaw a bit. It’s also worth noting that no new time limit was set for the talks, although there is of course a strict deadline of December 31, when the status quo is exhausted.

It’s also worth noting that the prime minister was abhorred for showing many signs of optimism when he appeared in front of a camera shortly after the joint statement emerged.

Eliminating the twist on both sides, there’s little doubt the prospects for a deal felt bleak at the end of the week.

The prime minister moved repeatedly to start warning the public and businesses that leaving without a deal seemed increasingly likely, unless there was some change in the EU’s position.

Remember that it did not seem long ago that an agreement was in reach, before some countries began to push for a more robust approach.

It now appears that negotiators have taken some small steps toward that position in recent days with suggestions that Brussels has softened its position on how the two sides resolve disputes over common rules in the coming years.

There are rumors that they have withdrawn from trying to include the “ratchet clause”, one of the UK’s main complaints explained by my colleague Faisal Islam.

This was the problem described by Johnson on Thursday using a rather strange metaphor about twins.

Regardless of how you describe it, it was clear that the UK was simply unwilling to accept that the EU could take punitive action on its own, so negotiators have been trying to figure out how to fix it together.

In fact, a diplomatic source suggested that the “ratchet clause” approach had been abandoned some time ago, and political narratives on both sides have been behind what has been happening in the negotiating room.

The circle around conversations is extremely tight, making it very difficult to know precisely what is going on. Both sides may be pending concessions.

A cabinet minister on the call with the prime minister said that even they were not informed about the details of where any movement has taken place.

But now he has the feeling that the terrain has changed enough to make the possibility of a deal worth pursuing.

As Chancellor Dominic Raab told the BBC this morning, there is always the possibility of “creative contours in the newsroom”.

In other words, the political imperatives for this to happen are so strong that even sensitive issues at this late stage can still be manipulated.

It is not certain that the talks will end with an agreement, but the chances of resolution are increasing again.