London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 29, 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
UK Hospitality Industry Reports Stronger Summer Trading but Seeks Tax Relief
Reform UK Proposes £30 Tax Credit for Long HMRC Helpline Waits
Labour Debates Caps on Political Donations Ahead of Future Elections
England Accelerates Housing and Planning Reforms Amid Affordability Crisis
NHS Expands Walk-In Community Health Centers to 40 Locations
UK Regulators Expect Meta to Apply Stronger Child Safety Standards Globally
UK Groups Demand Faster Transport Decarbonization After Extreme Summer Weather
UK Launches 10,000 Work Experience Placements as Youth Unemployment Concerns Rise
UK Government Faces Difficult Autumn Budget Choices Over Defense, Spending and Taxes
UK Government Rejects Calls to Slow AI Data Center Expansion
IMF Raises UK Growth Forecast to 1% Despite Global Supply Chain Risks
UK Unsecured Loan Defaults Reach Highest Level Since 2009
UK Energy Price Cap to Rise 4% to Three-Year High of £1,723
More Than 30 Britons Reported Missing After Deadly Nepal-Tibet Floods
Royal Navy Tracks Russian Warships and Sanctioned Vessels in 72-Hour Operation
Police Intensify Investigation Into Organised Crime-Linked Violence in Middlesbrough
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Revenue and Tax Pressures, Federation Says
M&G Real Estate Buys West Sussex Affordable Housing Portfolio for £29 Million
Royal Navy Warship HMS Tamar Visits Cambodia for Regional Security Engagement
UK Government Brings Forward Benefit Payments Ahead of August Bank Holiday
Four Men Plead Guilty to Arson Attack on Jewish Community Ambulances in North London
Ofgem Raises Great Britain’s Household Energy Price Cap by Four Percent From October
UK Government Rejects Green Party Call for Artificial Intelligence Datacentre Moratorium
Millions of UK Benefit Recipients Receive Payments Early Ahead of August Bank Holiday
UK Prime Minister Meets Northern Ireland Leaders in Belfast Over Budget Crisis
Crypto Tax Gains Reach One Point Three Eight Billion Pounds Among UK Investors, HMRC Data Shows
UK Corporate Confidence Rises to Highest Level Since March, Lloyds Survey Shows
Mike Ashley Attacks UK Government Business Rates and Cost-of-Living Policies
Scottish Universities Face Two Hundred Million Pound Annual Funding Gap, Report Warns
Entertainment Figures Urge UK Government to Protect People From AI Voice Cloning
Manchester Airports Group Confirms Customer Data Breached in Cyberattack
Seven Charged Over Vandalism at Donald Trump’s Turnberry Golf Resort in Scotland
Nearly 23,000 UK Households Expected to Move Home on Busiest Day of 2026
UK Benefit Payments to Arrive Early Ahead of August Bank Holiday
Reform UK Pledges to Replace GDPR and Cut Tax Administration Red Tape
Andy Burnham Launches Work Experience Plan for One Million Young People Outside Education or Work
Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backlash After Dropping Support for Political Donations Cap
Andy Burnham Announces UK-Wide Summit With Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Met Office Warns of Heavy Rain and Flood Risk Across England and Wales After Summer Heat
Bank of England Warns AI Adoption Could Reduce Demand for Automatable Jobs
UK Confirms National Salmonella Outbreak With More Than 200 Cases
UK Airports Handle Record 81 Million Passengers Despite Middle East Disruption
Ofgem Raises UK Energy Price Cap by Four Percent to £1,723
Cyber Attack Hits Customer Data Systems at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands Airports
TSA Unveils Major Airport-Security Overhaul as It Drops Gold+ Privatization Plan
CIA Chief Warned Russia Against Attacking NATO in Secret Moscow Mission
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After Lamborghini Crash
The Secret Dolly Parton Kept Until Her Death: "She Was Much Sicker Than She Let On"
Middlesbrough House Fire Kills Woman and Seven-Year-Old Girl
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Return to UK Amid Renewed Media Attention
×