were paused last night after the chief negotiators – Michel Barnier and David Frost – said “significant divergences” on key issues meant the conditions for an agreement were not met. Mr Johnson will speak to Ms Von der Leyen today and he is also likely to call other European leaders, including French president Emmanuel Macron. Negotiators are now working towards a deadline on Monday, when Mr Johnson has promised to restore to the Internal Market Bill clauses that would breach the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Time is in very short supply, and we’re at a very difficult point in the talks,” a spokesman for the prime minister said. The issue of dispute resolution and enforcement has become more central since Mr Johnson threatened to break international law with the Internal Market Bill.

Source: The Irish Times December 04, 2020 19:41 UTC