The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Tuesday said the bloc would do its utmost to meet a tight deadline and agree a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain before the end of next year.

“We will do the maximum,” Barnier told reporters when asked if he could meet an eleven-month deadline to seal the trade agreement with Britain and avoid a no-deal divorce that could punish the economy.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday threatened to outlaw any request to extend the transition period that begins when Brexit takes place on Januray 31 and runs to the end of the year.

Source: AFP