Brexit: Boris Johnson to dine with EU chief in Brussels to attempt to find a breakthrough

Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to try to reach a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal over dinner with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

The Prime Minister and the EU chief will continue their talks in person after the UK Government dropped controversial plans that would have allowed ministers to break international law.

The olive branch came after the two sides reached an agreement on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement divorce deal as time rapidly runs out to the end of the transition period on December 31.

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Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to try to reach a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal over dinner with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to try to reach a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal over dinner with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
Boris Johnson will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to try to reach a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal over dinner with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
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Meanwhile, Brussels' chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned EU foreign ministers that he now believes a no-deal departure is more likely than a trade agreement being brokered in time, the PA news agency understands.

But both sides set the stage for a potentially make-or-break meal in Belgium on Wednesday.

In a statement, Downing Street said: "The PM will travel to Brussels tomorrow for dinner with VDL to continue discussions on the future relationship between the UK and the EU."

Ms von der Leyen said that "I look forward" to welcoming Mr Johnson on Wednesday evening, adding: "We will continue our discussion on the Partnership Agreement."

Earlier in the day, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and his counterpart on the UK-EU joint committee, Maros Sefcovic, reached an agreement on border checks and trading rules for Northern Ireland.

Their discussions are separate from the trade talks, which remain deadlocked, but the agreement could improve relations between the two negotiating teams.

Ministers enraged the EU by requesting the powers to breach international law in overriding parts of the EU in the UK Internal Market Bill, arguing it was needed to protect the trading relationship between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the event of no-deal.

But Mr Gove and Mr Sefcovic said in a statement that "an agreement in principle" had been reached on all issues and that the Government would withdraw the controversial clauses of the Bill.

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The agreement covers issues including border checks on animal and plant products, the supply of medicines and deliveries of chilled meats and other food products to supermarkets.

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