Brexit talks paused as 'conditions for agreement not met'

  • Video report by ITV News Political Correspondent Libby Wiener

Talks between the UK and EU to thrash out a post-Brexit trade deal have been paused until Saturday afternoon.

Michel Barnier has said he and Lord Frost have agreed to “pause” talks while they brief their principals on the state of play of the negotiations.

Mr Barnier said that after a week of “intense negotiations” in London, he and Lord Frost had agreed “the conditions for an agreement are not met, due to significant divergences on level playing field, governance and fisheries”.

In a joint statement, Michel Barnier and Lord Frost said they had suspended discussions while they brief Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on the state of play.

The two leaders will then discuss the situation in a call on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Barnier tweeted: "We agreed to pause the talks in order to brief our Principals on the state of play of the negotiations,” he tweeted. “President @vonderleyen and Prime Minister Johnson will discuss the state of play tomorrow afternoon."

The latest delay to the negotiations comes after Downing Street said they had reached a “very difficult point” in the negotiations.

With time running out for an agreement before the current Brexit transition period ends at the end of the month, UK sources have accused the EU of trying to introduce “new elements” into the negotiations at the 11th hour.

Meanwhile, France’s Europe minister, Clement Beaune, has publicly warned that his country could veto any agreement if it did not satisfy their conditions.

  • 'We have a duty to protect our economy against unfair competition' Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts

A No 10 spokesman said: “We are committed to working hard to try and reach an agreement with the EU and the talks are ongoing.

“There are still some issues to overcome. Time is in very short supply and we are at a very difficult point in the talks.

“What is certain is we will not be able to agree a deal that doesn’t respect our fundamental principles on sovereignty, fishing and control.

“Our negotiating team is working extremely hard in order to bridge the gaps that remain.”

  • ITV News Political Correspondent Libby Wiener ITV News describes this as a 'choreographed pause'

After months of circling round the same key issues, their had been hopes that this weekend would be the point when the two sides would finally make the moves needed to get an agreement over the line.

At the same time there had been an expectation that Mr Johnson and Mrs von der Leyen would have to come together to resolve the most problematic issues.

Fishing and the so-called “level playing field” aimed at preventing unfair competition on state subsidies and standards remain the main issues to be resolved in the talks.

  • ITV News Europe Editor James Mates says Michel Barnier may have reached the limits of his mandate

The Government will ask MPs to reinstate controversial legislation giving ministers the power to break international law by ignoring provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement relating to Northern Ireland.

MPs will vote on the UK Internal Market Bill on Monday, potentially throwing the talks on a UK-European Union trade deal into deep crisis unless an agreement can be reached by then.

The EU has already taken the first steps towards legal action over the legislation.

The Government will also introduce the Taxation (Post-Transition Period) Bill, which reportedly includes measures to override parts of the divorce deal struck by the Prime Minister and the EU in 2019.

MPs will be asked to reinsert the controversial Northern Ireland provisions into the UK Internal Market Bill after the Lords voted to remove them.