UK and EU trade talks extended amid parties still split on several issues

Hope rise of a last-minute saving  Brexit deal amid a level playing field remains a sticking point.

Boris Johnson, prime minister, and European Commission President Ursula von der  Leyen said it was “ responsible at this point to go the extra mile”.

The two sides had said Sunday was the deadline for a decision on whether to continue with talks, with the UK set to leave EU rules at the end of the month. The leaders agreed to tell negotiations to carry on talks in Brussels “ to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached. I hope that the talks will swiftly conclude, but I also hope on behalf of all British businesses and workers, and our security as well, that the government will deliver the promise they made to the British people and come back with a deal.” The two sides would move to trading on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules if a trade deal can’t be reached, as tariff charges on goods being bought and sold between the two sides could be introduced and in turn, prices on certain products may go up.

The EU is determined to prevent the UK from gaining what it sees as an unfair advantage of having tariff-free access to its markets – not paying taxes on goods being bought and sold while setting its own standards of products, employment rights, and business subsidies.  The EU is reported to have dropped the idea of a formal mechanism to ensure both sides keep up with each other’s standards and is now prepared to accept UK divergence – provided there are safeguards to prevent unfair competition. Fishing rights are another major area of disagreement with the EU warning that without access to UK waters for EU fleets, UK fishermen will no longer get special access to EU markets to sell their goods. But the UK argues that what goes on in its own waters, and its wider business rules, should be under its control as a sovereign country.

The National Farmer’s Union has warned there will be “significant disruption” to the sector if the UK fails to reach a trade deal with the EU.

 “ I believe a no-deal scenario would be very bad news for all of us, an appalling failure of statecraft” on both sides,” said Taoiseach, (Irish prime minister) Michael Martin.