Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

EU says 'ready to negotiate 24/7' with Britain as a deal is 'within reach'

EXPRESSING its willingness for talks the EU said on Wednesday(21) that an agreement was still 'within reach' with 10 weeks to go as the union is ready for 'negotiations 24/7'.

The EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told the European Parliament an agreement was still "within reach".


"Time is of the essence ... Along with our British counterparts, we must find solutions to the most difficult areas," Barnier said, in comments that pushed sterling higher.

A frustrated EU and piqued Britain both exhorted each other this week to compromise to avoid a disruptive finale to the five-year Brexit drama that would add to economic pain from the coronavirus crisis.

"Time is very short and we stand ready to negotiate 24/7, on all subjects, on legal texts. The UK has a bit of a decision to make and it's their free and sovereign choice," European Council president Charles Michel told the European Parliament.

He said Britain's answer would determine its level of access to the EU's internal market of 450 million consumers, adding: "This is just common sense."

London has this week refused to continue full negotiations, saying the EU must "fundamentally change" its stance.

The bloc sees this as bluff by prime minister Boris Johnson but has also extended an olive branch by talking up UK sovereignity, as well as the EU's openess to discuss intensively, across the board and on specific legal texts.

A UK spokesman said London noted "with interest" Barnier's comments that touch "in a significant way on the issues behind the current difficulties in our talks".

Michel called for a "binding, independent arbitration" to redress market distortions swiftly, adding that London's draft new Internal Market Bill - which, if adopted, would undermine Britain's earlier divorce deal with the EU - only strengthened the bloc's resolve to ensure tight policing of any new deal.

A deputy head of the bloc's executive European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, also said London must respect its Brexit settlement with the EU regardless of the outcome of trade talks.

Michel said losing access to British waters would inflict "extraordinary damage" on the EU's fishing industry and that the bloc was therefore seeking to prolong the status-quo just as London wanted to keep the EU's market open for UK companies.

"But the UK wants access to the single market while at the same time being able to diverge from our standards and regulations when it suits them. You can't have your cake and eat it too," Michel said.

More For You

Modi arrives in Saudi Arabia to strengthen strategic ties

Prime minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (22)

Modi arrives in Saudi Arabia to strengthen strategic ties

INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Tuesday (22) for his third visit as prime minister to the oil-rich Gulf kingdom.

The trip came a day after Modi held talks with US vice-president JD Vance in India, with New Delhi looking to seal a trade deal with Washington and stave off punishing tariffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Veterans urge nation to 'unite and remember' in VE Day letter

Samina Mahroof, a cutter at the JW Plant Flag Company works on flag orders ahead of the VE Day 80th anniversary on March 18, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

Veterans urge nation to 'unite and remember' in VE Day letter

TEN surviving Second World War veterans, including three from the British Indian Army, have written an open letter urging people across the UK to come together and remember the sacrifices made during the war.

Launched on Wednesday (23) by the /Together Coalition, the letter is part of a wider campaign marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, which falls on May 5.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vinay Narwal

Lieutenant Vinay Narwal of the Indian Navy, 26, from Haryana, was among those killed in the attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Photo: X/@indiannavy

Navy officer on honeymoon, grandfather vacationing with grandkids among 26 killed in Kashmir attack

LIEUTENANT Vinay Narwal of the Indian Navy had been married just six days earlier. He was on his honeymoon in Pahalgam when he was shot in the head by a terrorist while eating bhelpuri with his wife.

Manjunatha, a tourist from Karnataka, was asked if he was Hindu or Muslim before being shot dead.

Keep ReadingShow less
Who is Saifullah Kasuri, the  mastermind behind Pahalgam attack?

Saifullah Kasuri

Who is Saifullah Kasuri, the  mastermind behind Pahalgam attack?

THE tourist town of Pahalgam in India's Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of the worst terror attacks in the region on Tuesday (22) since the abrogation of Article 370. A group of heavily armed terrorists opened fire on unsuspecting tourists at Baisaran meadow, killing 26 people and injuring many more.

The attack sent shockwaves across the country and drew condemnation from leaders both in India and abroad. Within hours, a group known as The Resistance Front (TRF), widely believed to be a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hertfordshire Police treat vandalism of Muslim graves as Islamophobic hate crime

The damage to plaques at Carpenders Park Cemetery has sparked outrage in the Muslim community

Hertfordshire Police treat vandalism of Muslim graves as Islamophobic hate crime

Grant Williams

HERTFORDSHIRE Police have said they are “confident” the desecration of Muslim graves at a cemetery in north London “was a religiously motivated act”.

The leader of the council that owns the cemetery visited the site last week to speak to grieving families following the horrific incident.

Keep ReadingShow less