UK and EU should double down on Brexit trade deal

AS STORES across England began to reopen this week, Brexit is back in the headlines, with European Union (EU) and UK leaders convening on Monday and agreeing to put more urgency into talks to try to reach a trade deal.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who confirmed last week that the Brexit transition will end in December - asserts that a deal can be achieved in July, but that assessment is very likely too optimistic even with the extra "oomph" in the negotiations that he advocates.

Rather than setting summer deadlines that will be exceptionally hard to meet, Mr Johnson and his EU counterparts should now redouble efforts to agree the broadest possible trade deal this autumn which can be ratified in or before December.