The Prime Minister and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen have “instructed their chief negotiators to work intensively” to find solutions for the differences that remain in the UK-EU trade talks, Downing Street said.
Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to intensify talks during a video conference call on Saturday after acknowledging that “significant gaps remained” between the UK and Brussels.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson 'optimistic’ about Brexit trade deal as UK and EU talks stall
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, spoke today about the state of play in the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
“They agreed on the importance of finding an agreement, if at all possible, as a strong basis for a strategic EU-UK relationship in future.
“They endorsed the assessment of both chief negotiators that progress had been made in recent weeks but that significant gaps remained, notably but not only in the areas of fisheries, the level playing field, and governance.
“They instructed their chief negotiators to work intensively in order to try to bridge those gaps.
“They agreed to speak on a regular basis on this issue.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the virtual Conservative Party conference the UK will no longer be “held over a barrel by Brussels”.
Good phone call with @BorisJohnson about the state of play in the 🇪🇺-🇬🇧 negotiations.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 3, 2020
While progress had been made, significant gaps remain. We agreed that it's important to find an agreement as strong basis for a strategic relationship.
Joint statement → https://t.co/Tl3jdRIZqB pic.twitter.com/rUTSp8l9dP
READ MORE: Brexit: Michael Gove warns of "one or two ups and downs" in securing a trade deal with EU
During his conference speech, he said: “Yes we want a free trade deal with the EU, but any deal must be fair.
“The days of being held over a barrel by Brussels are long gone.
“Under the Conservatives, there is no question: our Government will control our fisheries, our Parliament will pass our laws and our courts will judge them.”
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