Johnson and von der Leyen agree to ‘redouble efforts’ to reach a deal in trade talks

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen spoke over the phone on Saturday about the trade negotiations (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen agreed during a phone call on Saturday to “redouble efforts” to reach a trade deal and signed off on talks continuing next week.

Downing Street said the British Prime Minister told his Brussels counterpart that there remained “significant differences” in the UK-EU negotiations, with the two sides continuing to be apart on their positions over fishing rights and a level playing field agreement.