Boris Johnson Heads to Brussels for Crisis Talks

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels for crisis talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as they try to break the deadlocked negotiations over a post-Brexit trade deal.

The two spoke on Monday evening amid warnings from British officials the talks could collapse unless negotiators make a rapid breakthrough.

The two sides are still far apart, with “significant differences” on the three key issues of fisheries, rules for fair competition, and the governance of any deal, the two sides said in a statement on Monday evening. Disagreements on those three subjects have dogged the negotiations since they began eight months ago.

EU officials say Wednesday is the cut-off point for reaching a deal. Both the European and U.K. parliaments need to ratify any accord before Britain leaves the EU’s single market on Dec. 31, so one has to be reached before then to be implemented in time.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney warned on Monday that frustration is building within the EU as efforts to broker a deal continue. Speaking to broadcaster RTE, he said some countries are becoming “resigned” to the idea of Britain crashing out with no trade deal in place, and the mood in the bloc is starting to shift toward contingency planning for that outcome.