Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Britain is 'very, very likely' to leave the EU without a trade deal, Boris Johnson admits

Boris Johnson has warned it is "very, very likely" that the United Kingdom will fail to strike a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a virtual press conference at Downing Street, London.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a press conference at Downing Street, London. Source: Press Association

The United Kingdom is likely to leave the European Union without a trade deal in just under three weeks' time, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen say.

Britain quit the EU in January but remains an informal member until 31 December - the end of a transition period during which it has remained in the EU single market and customs union.

Both sides say they want to agree to arrangements to cover nearly $1.3 trillion AUD in annual trade but talks are at an impasse.

European Commission chief Ms von der Leyen told EU leaders that a no-deal was more likely than a deal, an official said.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"It's looking very, very likely we'll have to go for a solution that I think will be wonderful for the UK, we'll be able to do exactly what we want from January 1, it will obviously be different from what we set out to achieve," Mr Johnson told reporters.

"If there's a big offer, a big change in what they're saying then I must say that I'm yet to see it," he said.

Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen have given negotiators until Sunday evening to break the impasse at talks that are deadlocked over fishing rights and EU demands for Britain to face consequences if in the future it diverges from the bloc's rules.

But Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday that he would not be surprised if negotiations between the UK and the EU drag on for a few more days and there is a last-minute trade deal.

"It's very often the case that these deals are done at the last moment because everyone needs to be sure it was the best deal possible and there is nothing else left on the table," Mr Varadkar told reporters.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it drags on for a few days and the deal is only clinched at the last minute," Mr Varadkar said, sharing the Irish foreign minister's hopes earlier on Friday that a deal can still be done.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP, SBS



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world