European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said that a trade deal between the EU and the UK is unlikely owing to big differences. Her statement came after talks were held with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the phone on Thursday.
Johnson has reiterated his statement, following the call, on the agreement not being reached anytime soon. In a statement released to the public, Downing Street said that Johnson had disagreed with the EU President, saying that the UK “could not accept a situation where it was the only sovereign country in the world not to be able to control access to its own waters for an extended period and to be faced with fisheries quotas which hugely disadvantaged its own industry”.
“He said that if no agreement could be reached, the UK and the EU would part as friends, with the UK trading with the EU on Australian-style terms,” said the statement.
David Frost, UK’s chief negotiator tweeted on Thursday evening “The situation in our talks with the EU is very serious tonight. Progress seems blocked and time is running out.”
