UK says ‘very little progress’ made toward post-Brexit deal

The EU’s insistence on including a set of novel and unbalanced proposals on the so-called “level playing field,” and the bloc’s demands on fisheries are the main obstacles to an agreement, Frost said.

Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, said the U.K. and European Union have made “very limited progress” toward a deal after the latest round of talks.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly ruled out extending the deadline, raising the prospect of Britain ending its post-Brexit transition period on Dec. 31 without a free-trade deal, putting more pressure on an economy already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. (via REUTERS)

“We made very little progress towards agreement on the most significant outstanding issues between us,” Frost said in an emailed statement on Friday.

The EU’s insistence on including a set of novel and unbalanced proposals on the so-called “level playing field,” and the bloc’s demands on fisheries are the main obstacles to an agreement, Frost said.

Just one more round of talks remains before politicians meet in June to decide on the way forward, with both sides aiming to strike a deal around October. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly ruled out extending the deadline, raising the prospect of Britain ending its post-Brexit transition period on Dec. 31 without a free-trade deal, putting more pressure on an economy already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.