Reaching a Brexit trade deal is in interests of UK and EU - The Yorkshire Post says

A joint statement by Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the pair have agreed to “go the extra mile” in an effort to find a solution, meaning talks will continue on the disputed areas of fishing rights and the so-called level playing field on standards.

With little more than two weeks until the end of the transition period, time is clearly of the essence but there seems to be an appreciation on both sides of the table that no deal would be highly damaging in all sorts of regards - particularly in the midst of the joint economic and health crises facing Europe and the world at large.

As Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin put it, no deal would represent “an appalling failure of statecraft” - particularly when “97 per cent” of a potential agreement has already been reached. Spain’s foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez also rightly noted no deal would be “extremely negative” for the economies of both the UK and EU member states.

While there has been much focus on the issue of fishing in recent weeks as one of the areas of outstanding disagreement, the impact on other sectors highlights why absolutely every effort must be made to avoid no deal. In farming, more than 60 per cent of the UK’s agricultural food and drink production – worth £14.5 billion to economy – is exported to the EU; free access that could disappear overnight and leave customers in Europe seeking suppliers from other countries.

The stakes are incredibly high - and it seems despite the bluster, bombast and briefings of recent days, there appears to be a shared will to find a way through.

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