UK & EU should do trade deal at year end as Brexit transition closes – Raab

Britain and the European Union should get a trade deal done by the end of the year to avoid adding to existing uncertainty, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab stated on Wednesday. London stands by the timetable to end a transition period in December, Reuters quoted him as saying.

“Let’s be very clear about it: our position is unchanged. The transition period ends on 31 December. That is enshrined in law,” Raab told parliament.

“There is no intention of changing that,” the minister said. The two sides should “focus on removing any additional uncertainty, doing a deal by the end of the year and allowing both the UK and the EU, and all of its member states, to bounce back as we come through the coronavirus,” he added.