After intense negotiations over the past couple of days between the two sides, talks have stalled.
With a number of areas yet to discuss, both Mr Barnier and Mr Frost have stopped negotiations, stating conditions have not been met between them.
The men each stated on Twitter that: “After one week of intense negotiation in London, the two Chief Negotiators agreed today that the conditions for an agreement are not met, due to significant divergences on level playing field, governance and fisheries.
On this basis, they agreed to pause the talks in order to brief their Principals on the state of play of the negotiations.
Barnier added: “President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Johnson will discuss the state of play tomorrow afternoon.”
Other issues that are contended include State Aid subsidies and enforcement of the new rules.
The PM’s spokesman said the UK Government was “committed to working hard to try and reach an agreement”. He added that the UK couldn’t “agree a deal that doesn’t allow us to take back control”, continuing that “time is in very short supply and we are at a very difficult point in the talks”.
However, a Government source remarked that such a statement demonstrates how far off each side is in the trade talks from where they want to be at this point.
If a deal is not agreed by the 31st December, then the sides will default to trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, resulting in levies on imported goods.
