'Very serious divergences' between UK and EU on Brexit trade deal   

Both the EU and UK negotiators issued similarly downbeat assessments of the current state of talks.

Michel Barnier gave no certainty that a trade deal between the bloc and the UK would be clinched by a mid-November.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said “very serious divergences” remained in trade talks with the UK, and suggested the bloc would rather accept disruptions in commerce in eight weeks than yield on its key demands.

The UK left the EU in January and talks on salvaging a free-trade deal between the estranged allies are now in their final stretch before the UK's transition out of the bloc completes at the end of December.