Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

EU is ready to work 'until the last minute' for a good agreement, says Sefcovic

THE EU wants a Brexit trade deal with Britain and will work until the last minute to get a fair agreement, though not at any cost, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said on Monday(19).

"It has to be a fair agreement for both sides - we are not going to sign an agreement at any cost," Sefcovic told reporters after a meeting with Britain's Brexit supremo Michael Gove in London.


"The European Union is ready to work until the last minute for a good agreement for both parties," Sefcovic said.

EU and UK Brexit negotiators, Michel Barnier and David Frost, will discuss continuing trade talks over the phone around 1300 GMT on Monday, a spokesman for the former said.

Britain on Monday said that the door was still open if the EU wanted to make some small concessions to save Brexit trade talks, but that unless the bloc budged there would be a no-deal exit in 10 weeks.

The British pound extended gains and climbed above $1.30 on Monday as hopes grew that British and European negotiators might be able to salvage post-Brexit trade talks.

Against a broadly steady U.S. dollar, the pound strengthened 0.6 per cent higher at $1.3006. Against the euro , the pound gained 0.5 per cent to 90.33 pence.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said on Friday(16) there was no point in continuing talks and it was time to prepare for a no-deal departure when Britain's informal EU membership - known as the transition period - ends on Dec. 31.

But Michael Gove, his Brexit supremo who favours a deal, has said that an agreement could be reached if the bloc compromised.

"It would be sensible at this point for them to go that extra mile, to come closer to us on the points that remain for discussion," added British housing secretary Robert Jenrick.

"We hope that they could come forward now with some relatively small but important changes which respect us as an independent sovereign nation," he told Sky News.

Negotiations broke down on Thursday(15) when the EU demanded Britain give ground. Issues still to be resolved include fair competition rules, dispute resolution and fisheries.

More than 70 British business groups representing over 7 million workers on Sunday(18) urged politicians to get back to the negotiating table next week and strike a deal.

"With compromise and tenacity, a deal can be done. Businesses call on leaders on both sides to find a route through," they said.

More For You

Air India flight crash

Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025.

Getty Images

Leicester to observe silence for Air India crash victims during Rathayatra festival

A MINUTE of silence will be observed in Leicester on Sunday, June 22, to remember those who died in the recent Air India crash. The silence will take place during the inauguration of the annual Rathayatra festival of chariots in the city centre.

Organisers from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness confirmed the silence will be held at 11.20am, followed by traditional Hindu performances from Gujarat at Gallowtree Gate, outside Sports Direct.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

The discount is funded and distributed by energy companies across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government decides who qualifies. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock)

Millions more to get £150 off energy bills under new Warm Home Discount rules

MILLIONS of households in Britain will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter after the government changed the eligibility rules for the Warm Home Discount.

People on means-tested benefits will now automatically qualify for the discount, regardless of their property's size or energy score. This change is expected to extend support to 2.7 million additional households, including nearly a million with children.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sisters drown in Snowdonia pools during trip with friends

Haleema Zahid

Sisters drown in Snowdonia pools during trip with friends

TWO sisters studying at the University of Chester have drowned in mountain pools while visiting Snowdonia with university friends, an inquest has heard.

Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, were pulled from the water at the Watkin Pools at Eryri in the Nant Gwynant area of Gwynedd on June 11.

Keep ReadingShow less
Croydon couple dies in Air India crash after baby shower trip

Vaibhav Patel and his wife Jinal Goswami

Croydon couple dies in Air India crash after baby shower trip

A YOUNG couple from Croydon were among those killed in last week's devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, it has been confirmed.

Vaibhav Patel, 29, and his pregnant wife Jinal Goswami, 27, died when their flight crashed just moments after takeoff on June 12. Goswami was seven months pregnant with the couple's first child, reports said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Iran-Israel-clash-Reuters

Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran on June 18, 2025.

Reuters

Israel hits nuclear reactors in Iran; hospital struck in retaliation

ISRAEL launched airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities on Thursday, while Iranian missiles damaged an Israeli hospital, escalating the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its campaign until Iran's nuclear programme is destroyed. “The tyrants of Tehran will pay the full price,” he said.

Keep ReadingShow less