Brexit: Trade talks continue as negotiators meet in London

Michel Barnier resumed talks on Friday after arriving in the UK on Thursday evening.

Talks over a post-Brexit trade deal have resumed in London, after negotiators returned to the table following a week-long standoff.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss insisted a deal can still be done with the EU, as officials began a new round of "intensified" daily talks.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has warned that "every day counts" ahead of a looming December deadline.

He said both sides share a "huge common responsibility" as talks restarted.

Negotiations stalled last week after a summit in Brussels where EU leaders called on the UK to "make the necessary moves" towards a deal.

But the UK side agreed to resume talks after Mr Barnier said "compromises on both sides" were needed, in a speech on Wednesday.

• UK 'ready to welcome EU' to continue trade talks

• Trade talks are back on - but what's changed?

• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?

Both sides are seeking an agreement to govern their trading relationship once the UK's post-Brexit transition period ends in January 2021.

Key areas of disagreement include fishing rights, post-Brexit competition rules and how any deal would be enforced.

Speaking after the UK formally signed its post-Brexit trade deal with Japan, Ms Truss said the UK also wanted to strike a "good deal with the EU".

"We're in intense negotiations with the EU. We've made real progress," she told reporters on Friday.

In an interview with the BBC, she added any agreement would have to be based "on the principle that the UK is a sovereign nation".

At a signing ceremony in Tokyo, Japan's foreign minister also called on the EU and UK to reach a deal, which he said was important to Japanese firms.

Format for talks

Arriving in the UK on Thursday, ahead of a meeting with UK counterpart Lord David Frost, Mr Barnier told reporters it was "important to be back at the table".

The pair will meet again on Friday, during an "initial" renewed negotiation round running until Sunday, with subsequent talks planned in both Brussels and London.

These later talks could either take place in person or be held via video link if Covid restrictions apply, if both sides agree.

In line with a demand made by the UK, both sides will resume talks on all subjects based on proposed legal texts prepared by officials.

They have also agreed that "nothing is agreed" until progress has been reached in all areas - which has been a key demand of the EU.

You could be forgiven for thinking that what we've witnessed over the past few days is a bit of political theatre.

Cover for the government - post chest-beating- to return to the negotiating table where they know the time has now come for tough compromises to be made.

EU leaders also went out of their way to sound tough on Brexit at their summit last week. Privately, a number of EU figures now admit it was a misstep.

But EU leaders play to the domestic gallery too. They wanted to show they were "standing up to the UK" - that leaving the EU doesn't pay and that EU interests would be defended.

Read more from Katya here

The two sides have been at odds over the issue of so-called "state aid" rules, which limit government help for industry in the name of ensuring fair economic competition.

The UK has rejected an EU demand made earlier in the year for it to continue following the bloc's rules on such subsidies as part of a trade agreement.

Lord Frost has suggested the UK could instead agree "principles" for how subsidies are spent - something welcomed by Mr Barnier on Wednesday.

The two sides are also haggling over how much European fishing boats should be able to catch in British waters from next year.

The EU has so far resisted UK demands for annual talks to decide stock limits, as well as a reduction in access for its vessels to British fishing grounds.

Transition deadline looms

By remaining in the bloc's single market and customs union, the UK has continued to follow EU trading rules during its post-Brexit transition period.

This 11-month period is due to end in December, and the UK has ruled out seeking an extension.

Formal talks began in March and continued throughout the pandemic, initially via video link before in-person discussions resumed over the summer.

If a deal is not done, the UK will trade with the EU according to the default rules set by the Geneva-based World Trade Organization.

• YOUR WORK, YOUR MONEY: Is my bar business better off in Tier 3?

• WHAT PLANET ARE WE ON: Sir David Attenborough talks about the impact of the pandemic on tackling climate change