He was the mayor who reveled in the glory of hosting the 2012 London Olympics, and the man who led the Conservatives to a whopping election victory on the back of his mission to “get Brexit done.”.

The British government is denying a report that it is seeking a “Swiss-style” relationship with the European Union that would remove many of the economic barriers erected by Brexit.

When the United Kingdom walked out of the European Union two years ago, Brexit supporters believed that British pragmatism and common sense would not only see them through but would allow their country to flourish as it stood alone.

France says it will announce potential sanctions over energy prices and trade “by the end of the week” in its fishing dispute with the United Kingdom.

The European Council has approved a 5 billion-euro ($5.8 billion) reserve aimed at helping EU businesses tackle the short-term effects of Brexit.

McDonald’s says it has pulled milkshakes from the menu in all 1,250 of its British restaurants because of supply problems stemming from a shortage of truck drivers.

Former U.K. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow says he has quit the governing Conservatives to join the opposition Labour Party.

The U.K.’s chief negotiator called on the European Union to show “pragmatism and common sense,” instead of threatening to retaliate, as the two sides meet to resolve differences over the deal that was supposed to keep trade flowing after Brexit.

He's known throughout most of Europe as Mr. Brexit, but not so well known at home in France.

Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have hit London in a perfect storm.

Dozens of British residents in Spain were refused travel because airlines refused to take in as proof of residency documents used until the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union at midnight on Dec. 31, 2020. Airlines refused documents that before Brexit had been valid proof of the Britons' status as residents in Spain, Italy and Germany, although Spanish authorities claimed that the issue had been resolved by mid-Sunday. Around 300,000 British citizens are registered as permanent residents in Spain, although before Brexit, many more had been living full or part-time in the country without officially registering. Spain has been rolling out a new system to register permanent foreign residents called TIE but it’s suffering a backlog due to the high number of requests. “This should not be happening,” said the U.K. embassy in Spain said in a Facebook post.

A different U.K.-EU trade deal will bring new restrictions and red tape, but for British Brexit supporters, it means reclaiming national independence from the EU and its web of rules. Hundreds of millions of individuals in Britain and the bloc also face changes to their daily lives. Britons and EU citizens have lost the automatic right to live and work in the other’s territory. For some in Britain, including the prime minister, it’s a moment of pride and a chance for the U.K. to set new diplomatic and economic priorities. In Scotland, which voted strongly in 2016 to remain, Brexit has bolstered support for separation from the U.K.

EU ambassadors and lawmakers on both sides of the English Channel will now pore over the “EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement,” which contains over 1,240 pages of text. EU envoys are expected to meet on Monday to discuss the document, drawn up over nine intense months of talks. But other barriers will be raised, as the U.K. loses the kind of access to a huge market that only membership can guarantee. EU member countries are expected to endorse the agreement over the course of next week. But even if they do approve it, the text would only enter force provisionally on New Year’s Day as the European Parliament must also have its say.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives to deliver a statement at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. (Olivier Hoslet/Pool Photo via AP)BRUSSELS – Teetering on the brink of a no-deal Brexit departure, Britain and the European Union stepped back from the void Sunday and agreed to continue trade talks, although both downplayed the chances of success. U.K. and EU negotiators were still talking at EU headquarters on Sunday, with less than three weeks to go until the U.K. leaves the economic embrace of the 27-nation bloc. What we want is a good deal, a deal that respects these principles of economic fair play." Tariffs will be applied to many U.K. goods, including 10% on cars and more than 40% on lamb, hurting the U.K. economy as it struggles to rebound from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The political leaders are meeting in the hope of finalising a Brexit trade deal between Britain and the European bloc. (Aaron Chown/Pool via AP)LONDON – With a chaotic and costly no-deal Brexit only three weeks away, leaders of both the European Union and United Kingdom saw an ever likelier collapse of trade talks, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson even spoke of a “strong possibility" of failure. “I do think we need to be very very clear, there is now a strong possibility — a strong possibility — that we will have a solution that is much more like an Australian relationship with the EU," Johnson said, using his phrasing for a no-deal exit. Australia does not have a free trade deal with the EU. Months of trade talks have failed to bridge the gaps on three issues — fishing rights, fair-competition rules and the governance of future disputes.

If Johnson cannot expel enough EU fishing boats from U.K. waters, a no-deal Brexit would surely ensue, creating chaos and costs for all and ruin for some. The French, Britain's fiercest political rival for access to U.K. waters, know about symbolism — and timing — too. As well as France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Denmark are among those directly implicated by the potential closing off of U.K. waters. Deas said he expected there to be protests from disgruntled EU fishermen — especially French ones — if there is a deal that sees quotas reduced. Most agree Boulogne would be a prime target because so much U.K. fish is exported through there, and a blockade is relatively easy to achieve.

European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier walks to the Conference Centre in London, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. “If we do that, there’s a good chance that we can get a deal across the line in the next few days,” Coveney said. A trade deal by then would ensure there are no tariffs and quotas on trade in goods between the two sides, but there would still be technical costs, partly associated with customs checks and non-tariff barriers on services. If a trade deal came later than Jan 1, it would make for two massive adaptations of customs and border rules within a short time. These relate to fishing rights in British waters, business regulations and state aid.

Britains foreign minister says there are only narrow differences remaining in trade talks between the U.K. and the European Union. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)LONDON – Britain and the European Union edged toward resuming their troubled trade talks on Monday, after the bloc's chief negotiator said he was ready to “intensify” negotiations on the legal text of an agreement. Britain and the EU have been attempting to strike a new trade deal since the U.K. left the bloc on Jan. 31. He told British businesses to prepare for a no-deal economic break with the EU at the end of the year. The bill soured talks aimed at securing a new trade deal between Britain and the EU.

European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom Michel Barnier leaves after addressing a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. Ahead of Britain's angry retort to the summit conclusions, few doubted that Johnson will lean toward continuing the talks for a few more weeks. Overall, the EU says Britain is trying to retain the advantages of EU membership without the commitment to play by the bloc’s rules. Britain says it is baffled it can't get a quick deal with generous free trade concessions like Canada got a few years ago. It left trust in the Johnson government shattered, and the European Parliament, which must approve any deal, has vowed not to approve any trade deal if the U.K. government doesn’t withdraw this legislation.

It's part of Britain's new border with the European Union, and no one asked the locals for their permission. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)SEVINGTON – Four years after Britain voted to leave the European Union, Brexit can still seem abstract. They are chewing up land to create part of Britain’s new border with the European Union — a customs clearance depot with room for up to 2,000 trucks. That means Britain must erect a customs border with the 27-nation EU, its biggest trading partner. But as a staunch supporter of Brexit, he is determined to see the positive side of the new customs site.

Brexit preparation minister Michael Gove describes that as a reasonable worst-case scenario in a letter to logistics firms. Michael Gove, the minister in charge of Brexit preparations, described that as a worst-case scenario in a letter to logistics firms. Without a deal there will be much greater disruption, with the U.K. and the EU having to slap tariffs on each others’ goods. The EU and the U.K. say a deal must be struck by October so it can be approved and ratified before Jan. 1. But negotiators remain at loggerheads on key issues, especially European fishing boats’ access to U.K. waters and competition rules for businesses.

The two sides are trying to strike a new trade deal by then, but talks have bogged down. The withdrawal agreement includes measures to ensure there are no barriers to trade or travel between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and EU member Ireland. Sefcovic said he was seeking an urgent meeting of the joint EU-U.K. committee on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. Britains move threatens to scuttle already deadlocked talks on a free trade deal between Britain and the bloc. EU and U.K. trade negotiators are meeting in London this week, with both sides gloomy about a breakthrough on the key differences: competition rules and fishing rights.