The UK Prime Minister’s office has revealed that a three hour meeting between PM, Boris Johnson and EU Chief, Ursula von der Leyen, aimed at breaking the Brexit trade deadlock, has ended without agreement.
In a statement, the PM’s office said “very large gaps remain” but talks will continue, with a “firm decision” by Sunday, 13th December on whether a deal can be reached.
“They acknowledged that the situation remained very difficult and there were still major differences between the two sides,” the statement read.
It added, “The prime minister is determined not to leave any route to a fair deal untested, but any agreement must respect the independence and sovereignty of the UK.”
Ms von der Leyen, who described the talks as “lively and interesting” also said the two sides “remain far apart”, a verdict that suggests a no-deal Brexit looks increasingly likely.
She said, “We had a lively and interesting discussion on the state of play across the list of outstanding issues.
“We gained a clear understanding of each other’s positions. They remain far apart.
“We agreed that the teams should immediately reconvene to try to resolve these essential issues. We will come to a decision by the end of the weekend.”
Talks between the UK’s chief negotiator, Lord Frost and the EU’s Michel Barnier will resume in Brussels later.
The two negotiators also attended the three-hour meeting between the two leaders.
After the talks ended, British MPs reacted to the news that there had not been any agreement.
“One year after Boris Johnson promised us an oven-ready deal he has completely failed,” said Labour’s Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner. “The failure to deliver the deal he promised is his and his alone.”
Tory Brexiteer MP, John Baron said the PM deserved praise for “standing firm” rather than compromising in a rush to agree a deal.
“We must remember a trade deal is for keeps, not just for Christmas.
“We all want a deal, but it has to be a good deal because as we’ve said many times before, no deal is better than a bad deal.”
Meanwhile, John Allan, the chairman of UK supermarket chain Tesco has admitted it has stockpiled long-life goods in preparation for possible supply disruption at the end of the Brexit transition period.
Mr Allan was unable to rule out the chance of temporary shortages in some fresh foods from 1st January but added they should only be for “a limited period”.
He said the UK’s largest supermarket chain had moved to spread imports across UK ports to avoid a reliance on a few points of entry, including Dover, amid warnings of long freight delays.
His remarks add to growing evidence of a rush to secure supplies and escape tariffs, should the UK and EU be trading under World Trade Organisation rules due to a No Deal Brexit from 1st January.
Ian Hampton, the Executive Director of major ferry operator, Stena, told reporters, “We believe this is the result of stockpiling for Brexit with the companies being extremely prudent given the new reality of 31st of December, with the new checks that come into play.
“It’s therefore sensible that businesses do stockpile so they can ensure that the supply chains, and the, the opportunity and access to goods remains unhindered.”
