Boris Johnson will hold Brexit talks with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, on Saturday. It is the first time the two leaders have held Brexit talks since June.
Boris Johnson renews Brexit talks
Many believe that this announcement means that a deal is close. Although people are being asked to contain their optimism, it is reported that the EU are “determined” to get a deal done.
A Downing Street official made the announcement that “The Prime Minister will be speaking to President von der Leyen tomorrow afternoon to take stock of negotiations and discuss next steps.”
An EU diplomat said of the announcement that “it is a good sign I would say, it is the right time for them to touch base. The EU needs to hear at the highest level that the UK government is serious about a deal.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “As long as negotiations are ongoing I remain optimistic, but obviously I cannot tell you that there has been a breakthrough. It will be a crucial phase over the next few days. We shall wait, wait and see whether we can make progress in these next few days. We are in a constructive mood. A lot will be determined by what Britain wants and what Britain does not want. It is up to Britain to decide this freely.”
The two chief negotiators, David Frost and Michel Barnier, met on Friday morning to conclude the ninth round of negotiations. Britain compromised in making the offer of a three year transition period for fishing quotas and further compromise on state aid. The concessions were seen as a progress in the negotiations by the EU.
On Thursday the European Commission announced that it had started the process of suing the UK for breaching the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement by passing the Internal Market Bill.