Brexit reset talks go 'down to wire' ahead of summit

Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit reset was still under negotiation just hours before the prime minister was due to host Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa in London today.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL

British and European negotiators worked overnight to try and hash out a deal before the prime minister appears at a press conference alongside Ms Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, and Mr Costa, president of the European Council.

Downing Street sources said there had been outstanding issues on both sides. “Negotiations are going down to the wire and a deal is not yet done… conversations will continue overnight,” an official said. EU ambassadors met in Brussels yesterday to agree to any further compromises on either side.

It came after an apparent breakthrough in the talks emerged over the weekend, with British travellers to Europe set to be allowed to use EU passport queues and e-gates to cut down on time spent queueing.

When the leaders meet today, the PM is also expected to set out how young people will be able to live and work across the continent as he unveils the results of the post-Brexit reset. But contentious issues such as European access to British fishing waters and the flexibility of the UK’s youth mobility scheme have held up talks throughout.

After months of talks with EU counterparts, the prime minister will host Ms Von Der Leyen and Mr Costa in London. At an afternoon press conference, he will set out a range of areas the UK and Brussels have agreed to work more closely on – such as food standards and the linking of Britain and the EU’s carbon trading schemes.