Armed Navy boats on standby as UK and EU post-Brexit trade talks continue

The prime minister has said the EU need to make significant changes to their approach to issues such as fishing rights and business competition rules if an agreement is to be reached in time. Von der Leyen has also added that a failure to reach a deal is the most likely outcome.

With the possibility of no deal being struck, the BBC report that the Ministry of Defence is readying four Royal Navy patrol boats in preparation for protecting UK fishing waters.

Access to UK fishing territories has proven to be a major obstacle during the talks that have taken place so far. The EU have warned that no access to them would mean fishermen from the UK will not be able to take advantage of special access to markets within the EU when selling their own goods.