Boris Johnson to Hold EU-UK Trade Meeting

Boris Johnson will hold post-Brexit trade talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen via video link later.

Both sides have said no major progress has been made towards a deal after four rounds of talks this year.

The PM is due to say the talks need to be "swiftly concluded" by autumn to provide certainty, ahead of the end of the transition period in December.

It comes after the EU accepted that the UK will not seek to extend this period.

During Monday's high-level meeting via video conference call, Johnson is expected to reiterate that the UK's ambition is for a high-quality free trade agreement consistent with others the EU has agreed.

He is also expected to make clear that the UK is ready to start trading on World Trade Organisation rules from 1 January if a deal cannot be reached.

European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David-Maria Sassoli will join Mrs von der Leyen on the video call.

And Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and the UK's chief negotiator David Frost will be with Johnson.

Source: BBC