EU and UK say Brexit gap still large, talks to continue

The European Union and Britain said on Saturday major divergences remain in their Brexit talks but that negotiations would continue next week to try to clinch a trade deal in the scant time left.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the differences were “large”, while Johnson described them as “significant”.

Despite multiple rounds of talks, including two weeks of “intense” meetings that ended Wednesday, the two leaders said they remained apart on key issues including fisheries and mechanisms to guarantee fair competition between British and European companies.

“Some progress has been made, but large differences remain especially on level playing field and fisheries. Our teams will continue working hard next week,” von der Leyen tweeted.

Johnson said the negotiating teams would reconvene in London on Monday, “in order to redouble efforts to reach a deal”, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

“The prime minister set out that, while some progress had been made in recent discussions, significant differences remain in a number of areas, including the so-called level playing field and fish,” the spokesperson said.

Both leaders said they had agreed to remain in personal contact as well, signalling a stepped-up political effort to secure a new trading partnership before Britain ends a post-Brexit transition period on 31 December.

Before then, several weeks are needed for any treaty to be vetted and ratified by both sides, and observers have said they will be cutting it very fine if agreement is not reached by mid-November.

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