Johnson and EC president in urgent talks on fishing rights

BORIS JOHNSON will hold urgent talks with the president of the European Commission this afternoon, after his top Brexit official warned trade negotiation would fail unless the EU caved over fishing rights.

The Prime Minister and Ursula von der Leyen will hold their first conference call on Brexit since June “to take stock of negotiations and discuss next steps,” a No 10 spokesman said.

The pound rose by as much 0.5 per cent on hopes that the talks would bring a breakthrough.

“Where there is a will, there is a way so I think we should intensify the negotiations,” said Mrs Von der Leyen, who will put the Prime Minister under pressure to soften the British position on access to UK waters after the end of the Brexit transition period. Mrs Von der Leyen yesterday said neither side could afford no-deal during the coronavirus pandemic. But she demanded concessions over level playing-field commitments on state- aid l aws and the enforcement of the trade deal.

British negotiators will hope Mr Johnson will convince Mrs Von der Leyen to begin intensive and secret “tunnel talks” in the run-up to the Oct 15 EU summit. “On fisheries the gap between us is unfortunately very large and, without further realism and flexibility from the EU, risks being impossible to bridge,” warned David Frost, the UK’S chief negotiator.

A British compromise offer of a threeyear transition period for fishing quotas, with the UK share increasing over time, fell short of EU expectations this week. France, in particular, is pushing hard for a permanent quota system.