There are still “big differences” preventing a trade deal between the EU and UK, the European Commission president has said following talks with Boris Johnson.
Ursula von der Leyen spoke with the prime minister over the phone on Thursday evening, when the pair “took stock” of negotiations, which have been continuing throughout the week up against a new deadline.
But there was no sign of a breakthrough as she warned that bringing the divide, particularly on fishing, would be “very challenging”.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister had underlined during the conversation that talks were “now in a serious situation” and that it “now looked very likely that agreement would not be reached unless the EU position changed substantially”.
Mr Johnson was said to have branded the EU position on fisheries in particular as “simply not reasonable” and said the UK had moved to accommodate the bloc on the level playing field, even though “some fundamental areas remained difficult”.
UK chief negotiator David Frost echoed his boss, stating: “The situation in our talks with the EU is very serious tonight. Progress seems blocked and time is running out.”
On Thursday morning, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier told senior MEPs that a deal was possible over the next few days.