London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 16, 2026

The UK can’t be making ‘all of the compromises’, London says, but post-Brexit trade deal is ‘close’

The UK can’t be making ‘all of the compromises’, London says, but post-Brexit trade deal is ‘close’

With Boris Johnson’s October 15 deadline having passed, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab claims a trade deal with the EU is “close,” but shared his disappointment as the EU called on the UK to make more compromises.

Speaking on Friday, Raab responded to the outcome of Thursday’s European Council meetings, at which EU leaders had called on London to make all the concessions to allow a trade deal to be done.

While remaining positive that an agreement is still reachable, the foreign secretary shared his disappointment at the conclusion of the EU summit, echoing the words of the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost. “We are disappointed and surprised by the outcome of the European Council,” Raab told Sky News.

"We’ve been told that it must be the UK that makes all of the compromises in the days ahead, and that can’t be right in a negotiation, so we’re surprised by that."


At a media briefing on Thursday evening, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, stated that the EU would make an assessment on the viability of a post-Brexit trade deal based on the UK’s next proposals. Michel reiterated his demands for the UK to make the “necessary moves” in a Twitter post.


These comments drew criticism from many on the UK’s side. Frost tweeted his frustration at the outcome of Thursday’s EU leaders meeting.

 

The EU’s impasse with London over a post-Brexit trade deal revolves around a number of issues, including EU access to British waters, dispute settlement, and state aid.

Speaking before the summit on Thursday, European leaders showed no signs of backing down. France’s President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his position on fisheries, claiming he would not “sacrifice” French fishermen for a trade deal, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel, emphasized that an agreement must reflect the demands of all parties.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously claimed the UK would walk away from trade negotiations if a deal outline had not been reached by October 15. It is expected that he will make a statement on Friday in response to the outcome of Thursday’s summit.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
×