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EU vows to press Britain beyond December 31 deadline for Brexit talks

<p>Ambassadors in Brussels instructed EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier not to give ground on “core issues”</p> (REUTERS)

Ambassadors in Brussels instructed EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier not to give ground on “core issues”

(REUTERS)

The European Union today vowed to press Britain beyond the December 31 deadline for Brexit talks after France kicked up against any compromise over fishing rights.

In a move that threatens a temporary or permanent “no deal” crisis, ambassadors in Brussels instructed EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier not to give ground on “core issues” after he reported that an agreement is “in the balance”.

France is understood to have been rattled by suggestions that the EU side might feel pressured to compromise on their demand to have a large share of fish from UK waters, despite the UK insisting it will allocate rights in future.

Today’s meeting agreed that “substance” was more important to the EU side than the timetable, indicating it is prepared to go beyond the brink of a no-deal situation.

A senior diplomat told Reuters that some countries wanted negotiations, which have been stuck for months, to run past the end of Britain's transition phase on Dec. 31 even if that means there is a brief "no deal" period.

"There is a worry that because of this pressure of time there is a temptation to rush," the diplomat said after Mr Barnier’s briefing. "We told him: don't do that."

A no-deal situation on January 1 would mean chaos at ports and potential shortages of goods, with predictions that hundreds of lorries would form queues across Kent from Dover.

“Differences still persist on the three main issues,” said one diplomat after the closed-door meeting of member states. “A deal still hangs in the balance.”

The current transition period during which EU rules still apply ends on December 31, but any new deal will have to be translated and ratified before it can come into force, meaning there is little time left.

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