Britain, EU leader agree to bid for Brexit deal

 

Britain is about to end nearly five decades of economic and political integration on 31 December, and if no agreement is reached then there is an increasing likelihood of travel and trade chaos.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday asked their negotiators to "work intimately" to resolve differences to secure a Brexit free trade deal.

After the final round of nine rounds between London and Brussels on Friday, the two leaders spoke via video-link, with both sides saying significant obstacles remain in an agreement.

The intervention of the couple, who held Brexit talks in June, is considered crucial to success in stalled negotiations, with the time taken to confirm a deal until the deadline ends.

Britain is about to end almost five decades of economic and political integration on 31 December, and if no agreement is reached, there is an increasing likelihood of travel and trade chaos.

Johnson's office said in a statement that the two leaders had "agreed to speak regularly on this issue" as their teams try to compromise for thorn issues.

A spokesman for Downing Street said "the chief negotiators had supported progress in recent weeks but significant gaps remain," a Downing Street spokesman said, with fisheries, the provision of so-called level game and governance issues most Were proving to be more practical.

"He instructed his chief negotiators to work diligently to try to bridge those gaps."

The UK formally left the European Union in January but remained bound by most of the bloc's rules during a transition phase ending on 31 December.

The two sides have announced a European summit on 15 October as an agreement can be reached by that time so that it can be ratified in time.

Britain's chief negotiator David Frost immediately said on Twitter, "We will start work as soon as next week."

- 'Good deal' -

However, neither London nor Brussels appear ready to make a big inning at their adjacent positions.

Johnson - a key figure in the lengthy and divisive process to get Britain out of the bang - said "a good deal had to be done" on Saturday but it was down to the European Union to show more flexibility.

He said the UK was preparing for a possible deal Brexit and "it could work very well".

Meanwhile an EU source told AFP that the bloc was waiting for the British "to actually begin negotiations on larger issues".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who meets block chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday, said on Friday she was confident a deal was still possible, though a warning was given the next day.

Britain and Europe have so far gone some way to clearing basic disagreements on how to enforce future fishing rights in UK waters and how to maintain a level playing the field in trade and state subsidy regulations. Have not found

Diplomats say the British side is pushing for talks in the "tunnel" - diplomatic jargon for a closed-door, secret dash to the finish line, allowing negotiators to make concessions without public pressure.

But European officials say that this time is not right, as they are not yet sure that Johnson can be trusted.

The block launched legal action in response to an attempt by the UK government to reverse parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal last week.

On Tuesday, British MPs backed a bill regulating Britain's internal market from 1 January, when the country leaves the EU's single market and customs union.

Johnson has pushed with the law despite concerns in his own party and warnings from Washington that it endangers Irish peace.