UK works to make progress in trade talks with the European Union

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said today that Britain is focusing this week on trying to make progress in formal trade talks with the European Union, but stressed that large gaps remain.

"As we enter the final stages of the negotiations our focus is on what it will take to reach a trade agreement, although the last two weeks of informal talks have been relatively positive, there is still a lot to do," he added.

"The fundamentals of our position have not changed since the beginning of this process. We said we simply want a standard free trade agreement. The EU position was less clear and we are still being asked to accept provisions that do not reflect the reality of our status as an independent country," he explained.