Brexit talks extended by a month to reach a trade deal

Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK will be extended by a month in an attempt to strike a Brexit deal, as the EU stressed the “importance of finding an agreement.”

Boris Johnson and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had conference call on Saturday to discuss the progress of negotiations.

Chief negotiators have been tasked with working “intensively” to resolve remaining issues, but fishing rights and state aid governance still remains a sticking point.

In a joint statement between Downing Street and the European Commission, “The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, spoke today about the state of play in the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

“The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, spoke today about the state of play in the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU,” said the joint statement.

“They agreed on the importance of finding an agreement, if at all possible, as a strong basis for a strategic EU-UK relationship in future.

“They endorsed the assessment of both chief negotiators that progress had been made in recent weeks but that significant gaps remained, notably but not only in the areas of fisheries, the level playing field, and governance.

“They instructed their chief negotiators to work intensively in order to try to bridge those gaps.

“They agreed to speak on a regular basis on this issue.”

The Prime Minister is confident of securing a trade deal and told reporters on Saturday there is a “good deal to be done.”