U.K. Hints Brexit Talks Could Be Extended as Disagreements Remain

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The U.K. hinted that Brexit talks could stretch out beyond this week as the two sides struggle to overcome the key barriers to reaching a trade deal.

While officials from both sides of the Brexit divide agree the coming week is crucial, negotiations over a trade agreement have already passed a number of informal deadlines. Environment Secretary George Eustice said Sunday it would be possible to “squeeze out extra time” if the two sides were close to an agreement.

Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said on Sunday that he was heading back to Brussels for more discussions with his European Union counterpart Michel Barnier, and that the U.K. “will not be changing” its position in the coming talks.

There has been “some progress in a positive direction in recent days,” he said, while cautioning that “we may not succeed.”

With Britain’s Dec. 31 exit fast approaching, both the U.K. and the bloc “recognize that time is very short,” Eustice told Sky News’ Ridge on Sunday.

“This needs to be a week when things move, when we break through some of these difficult issues, and get a resolution, and at least have some sort of headlines of an agreement,” he said. “Otherwise it gets quite difficult and we do start to run out of time to implement it.”

Still, he noted “you can always squeeze out extra time if you need to — if you are nearly there.”

The issues of state aid and fishing remain sticking points, Eustice said. While both sides can see what a final agreement would look like, Brussels officials insist that reaching a deal will require the U.K. prime minister to move first, a stance their British counterparts reject.

Read More: Brexit Talks Hit Make-Your-Mind-Up Time as Deadlines Pass (2)

Speaking on the same program, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said negotiators were running out of time, and “this is move week.” The two sides have “got to make big progress this week,” he said.

Even so, a deal may not be ratified if the British government reintroduces parts of the internal market bill struck out by the House of Lords, he said.

Controversial Bill

Peers voted last week to remove the most controversial parts of that bill, which gives ministers the power to unilaterally rewrite parts of the Withdrawal Agreement that Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed with the European Union.

The government will overrule the Lords to put back those powers, which in any case would be rendered void by a trade agreement, according to Eustice.

The departure of top Johnson aide Dominic Cummings will have no impact on Brexit negotiations, Eustice also said.

Read More: Johnson Presses on With Brexit Law-Break Plan After Lords Defeat

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