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Brexit Talks Continue but UK Navy on Standby as Deadline Nears

Agence France-Presse

   LONDON - Trade talks between Britain and the European Union continued
   into the night Saturday ahead of the latest make-or-break deadline, as
   the Royal Navy readied armed ships to patrol U.K. fishing waters in
   case of a no-deal Brexit.

   Negotiations in Brussels were to continue Sunday, the day that British
   Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen have set
   as a deadline to decide whether any trade deal is still possible.

   "Talks are continuing overnight, but as things stand the offer on the
   table from the EU remains unacceptable," a U.K. government source said.
   "The prime minister will leave no stone unturned in this process, but
   he is absolutely clear: Any agreement must be fair and respect the
   fundamental position that the U.K. will be a sovereign nation in three
   weeks' time."

   A senior EU source, echoing von der Leyen's words Friday, said: "The
   defense of the single market is a red line for the European Union. What
   we have proposed to the United Kingdom respects British sovereignty. It
   could be the basis for an agreement."

   Four 80-meter (260-feet) British ships have been placed on standby,
   part of increased contingency planning on both sides of the English
   Channel, and evoking memories of the Cod Wars with Iceland over fishing
   rights in the North Atlantic in the 1960s and '70s.

   Johnson said on Friday it was "very, very likely" the talks would fail,
   and that Britain would revert to World Trade Organization (WTO) terms
   with its largest single trading partner.

   European leaders have also been told the chances of a deal are slim,
   with both sides at loggerheads over rules to govern fair competition
   and fishing rights in British territorial waters.

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