Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has told Sky News that Sunday will be a “point of finality” for Brexit trade talks if the EU does not “move substantially” in negotiations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday night shared a three-hour dinner with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the hope of breaking months of deadlock.
Despite the two leaders ordering their chief negotiators to resume talks over the next few days, they also both agreed that trade negotiations remained “very difficult” and there are still “major differences between the two sides”.
Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen said a “firm decision” about the talks should be taken by Sunday.
And Mr Raab suggested to Sky News this was now being treated as a hard deadline by the government by which to decide whether a free trade agreement is still possible.
“I think we view it as a point when we need some finality,” he said.
“I’m just a bit reticent ever to say – you can never say never with these EU negotiations.
“Of course, it depends if the EU moves.
“If the EU moves substantially and actually we’re only dotting a few Is or crossing a few Ts, it might be different.
“But I think without movement on the crucial two, three areas that I’ve described, I think that will be a point of finality.
“And that’s certainly the way the UK side is approaching it.”