16 December 2020 | UK NEWS
The President of the European Commission has said that there is now a “narrow path” for a trade deal between the EU and UK to be agreed.
The comments follows negotiations that are currently taking place between the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the European Commission in Brussels. The talks ended last week with Mr Johnson saying:
“As things stand we are still very far apart on key issues. There’s still a deal to be done, but the most likely thing is that we’ve got to be ready for Australia terms on 1st January.”
But in new developments today, Ms von der Leyen told the European Parliament this morning that: “As things stand, I cannot tell you whether there will be a deal or not.
“But there is a path to an agreement now – the path may be very narrow, but it is there.”
Mr Johnson also said today that: “There’s every opportunity, every hope I have, that our friends and partners across the Channel will see sense and do a deal.
“All that it takes is for them to understand that the UK has a natural right, like every other country, to be able to want to control its own laws and its own fishing grounds.”
At present, failing any breakthrough, the UK is set to leave the transition period without a deal at 11pm on 31st December.
