Britain doesn’t want ‘11th-hour Brexit trade deal’ and urges EU to speed up talks

The UK told the EU on Tuesday to speed up negotiations on a Brexit free trade deal, saying that there was no point in having an 11th-hour agreement that would cause havoc for businesses and citizens. “There is no point in us arriving at an agreement at the 11th hour: we have to arrive at agreement to enable it to be implemented, ratified but also for our citizens and businesses to prepare,” Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt told parliament.

“We’re talking to the EU about having a change of format, about how we can increase the pace of negotiations, get the focus where we need it to be, and get a deal done for both of our sakes,” Mordaunt said.

Mordaunt, a deputy to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, said there had been no movement on key sticking points in recent rounds and so talks would have to accelerate.

After Britain left the EU on January 31, the main terms of its membership remain in place during a transition period until the end of this year.