Talks on reset of UK-EU relations go 'down to wire' before summit

Fishing rights among issues unresolved hours before crucial meeting

- Pippa Crerar Jennifer Rankin Brussels

Negotiations on a major reset of the UK's relationship with the European Union went "down to the wire" last night, with fisheries and youth mobility among outstanding sticking points with hours to go before the start of a crucial summit.

In scenes reminiscent of the Brexit talks, British officials were still trying to reach a compromise with their EU counterparts overnight, as Keir Starmer prepared to host the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, in London today.

EU ambassadors, who were called to an unusual Sunday meeting in Brussels to discuss the summit, were told to be on standby for a further meeting later yesterday or early this morning, with the deal not yet over the line.

A UK government source told the Guardian: "Negotiations are going down to the wire and a deal is not yet done. There are some outstanding issues on both sides and conversations will continue overnight."

No 10's decision to issue a press statement on Saturday presenting the summit as a done deal had caused irritation in Brussels, prompting some to recall the well-known mantra Bucharest boost The centrist mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, was on course to win Romania's presidential election last night. But the rightwing historian Karol Nawrocki made it through to the runoff for Poland's presidential election, against the centrist Warsaw mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski. And in Portugal, the rightwing Chega party appeared to have made big gains in the general election. Pages 18-19 > of Brexit negotiations: "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed."