BRUSSELS: The European Union and Britain will return to the negotiating table after agreeing to abandon a supposed make-or-break deadline for a post-Brexit trade pact.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said last week they would decide whether an agreement was possible by the end of Sunday, but agreed in a crisis call to “go the extra mile”.
“Our negotiating teams have been working day and night over recent days,” von der Leyen said in a video message, reading out a joint statement agreed with Johnson.
“We have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the talks and to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached,” the leaders said.
They did not offer a new deadline but Conservative Party lawmaker Mark Harper suggested the extended talks could go right to the wire, with less than three weeks until Britain leaves the single market at the end of the month.
“Many of us are fully anticipating it’s entirely possible we might be returning to Parliament between Christmas and new year to scrutinise this and vote it through if a deal is done,” he told the Press Association.
EU negotiator Michel Barnier and Britain’s David Frost held talks late on Saturday and early on Sunday. They have been alternating between the capitals but a European official said that, for the moment, they would remain in Brussels.
Barnier will brief European ambassadors on Monday morning about the current state of negotiations, EU Council spokesman Sebastian Fischer said.
Johnson insisted that an agreement was far from sure.
“I’m afraid we’re still very far apart on some key things, but where there’s life there’s hope,” he said at Downing Street after briefing his cabinet about the call.
“The UK certainly won’t be walking away from the talks. I still think there’s a deal to be done if our partners want to do it,” he added.
Reports suggested the two sides were exploring a potential deal on how to respond if their regulations diverge over time and threaten fair competition.
But Britain cannot compromise on the “fundamental nature” of Brexit, controlling UK laws and fisheries, the prime minister said.
Without a deal, cross-Channel trade will revert to World Trade Organization rules, with tariffs driving up prices and generating paperwork for importers, and the failed negotiation could poison relations between London and the continent for years to come.
“Either way, whatever happens, the UK will do very, very well,” Johnson insisted.
