Negotiations continued overnight between UK and EU at European commission’s headquarters in Brussels
Boris Johnson is expected to hold a press conference at 8am, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports.
Morning – I hope you are asleep, especially as it’s Christmas Eve. If you are awake, expect PM a to talk to EU chief at about 7am UK time now with a press conference to follow at about 8
Understand there were four calls between PM and EU chief Von Der Leyen yday to get Brexit deal over the line. One final one in about half an hour expected to sign and seal after late night wrangles over individual fish species (am not making this up)
Good morning. Four and a half years after the UK voted to leave the EU, and with just a week to go now until the post-Brexit transition ends on 31 December, a trade deal has finally been agreed. It was expected to be announced last night, but of course it wouldn’t be Brexit without a last-minute hold-up, and now we are being told that Boris Johnson is expected to make an announcement quite early this morning, perhaps following one final call with Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president.
At midnight last night Eric Mamer, the spokesman for the commission, posted this on Twitter.
#brexit work will continue throughout the night. Grabbing some sleep is recommended to all brexit-watchers at this point. It will hopefully be an early start tomorrow morning…
Related: Brexit trade and security deal with EU within ‘touching distance’, says No 10
A post-Brexit trade and security treaty with the European Union is within “touching distance”, Downing Street said on Wednesday night as Boris Johnson prepared to unveil his hard-fought Christmas Eve deal.
The prime minister is expected to announce the terms of the agreement following a final call with the European commission president Ursula von der Leyen – but the two sides battled deep into the night to gain a last-minute advantage.
