European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson can agree on one thing: the EU and the UK are heading for a no-deal split.
Mr Johnson chaired a meeting with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, one of his key Brexit advisers, and others on Friday to assess the country's preparedness for leaving the European Union without a trade deal.
Senior officials in charge of Brexit planning also attended, the BBC reported.
Ms von der Leyen told the EU's 27 leaders in Brussels on Friday that the bloc was unlikely to get a trade deal with the UK by Sunday's deadline.
"Situation is difficult. Main obstacles remain," an EU official said of Ms von der Leyen's message to EU leaders.
"The probability of a no deal is higher than of a deal."
Mr Johnson has also put business and the public on notice to prepare to leave the EU without a deal.
Speaking in Blyth in north-east England on Friday, Mr Johnson said a no-deal Brexit was "very, very likely".
He said: "I’ve got to tell you that from where I stand now here in Blyth, it’s looking it’s looking very, very likely that we’ll have to go for a solution that I think would be wonderful for the UK to be able to do exactly what we want from from January the 1st.
"Obviously, it would be different from what we’d set out to achieve. But I’ve no doubt that this country can get ready and as I say, come out on World Trade (Organisation) terms."
The day before Mr Johnson said there was a “strong possibility” the UK would not strike a deal with its largest trading partner.
The warnings came as Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin insisted “97 per cent of the deal had been agreed”.
Mr Martin pleaded with both sides to reach agreement because there are “no winners and losers” in a no-deal situation.
Ireland is the EU member state most at risk from Britain crashing out of the bloc without a deal.
Mr Martin said: "Dialogue is key and both teams have given themselves a deadline of this Sunday, and I think the key to unlocking this is to stand back and look at the overall picture here.
“There can be no winners or losers in these negotiations from now on. There has to be a common purpose in terms of getting a deal over the line because it makes sense to get a trading deal.
However, Mr Johnson said the bloc’s demand that the UK follow future changes in EU rules was a major obstacle.
“There’s now the strong possibility we will have a solution that’s much more like an Australian relationship with the EU than a Canadian relationship with the EU,” Mr Johnson said.
“Looking at where we are, I do think it’s vital that everybody now gets ready for that Australian option.”
Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy said the opposition Labour party was prepared to support a deal.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "A deal is better than no deal. It represents a floor not a ceiling of what we can achieve for this country.
“But what we can’t have is a situation where the government is actively doing harm to our businesses and preventing them from thriving and doing well.”
The “Australian option” is Downing Street’s code for no deal.
In that scenario, the UK would fall back on the rules of the World Trade Organisation and face tariffs, as well as quotas, when the transition ends on December 31.
Former Australian premier Malcolm Turnbull told BBC’s Question Time that his country doesn’t have a “satisfactory” trade relationship with the EU.
“Be careful what you wish for: Australia’s relationship with the EU is not one, from a trade point of view, that Britain I think would want,” he said.
“There are very big barriers to Australian exports, agricultural products in particular. There’s a lot of friction in the system in terms of services. So there’s a lot to aim for.”
The pound extended its decline after Johnson’s intervention. His remarks couldn’t come at a more delicate time as EU leaders meet in Brussels after seeing off a threat by Hungary and Poland to block a $2.2 trillion stimulus package.
Earlier on Thursday, the EU published its contingency plans in case trade talks collapse.
The bloc aims to maintain basic air and road links between EU nations and the UK, while also allowing access to each other's fishing waters.
The European Commission said there was "significant uncertainty" about whether a deal would be in place by January 1.
"Our responsibility is to be prepared for all eventualities, including not having a deal in place," Ms von der Leyen said.
Among the contingency measures in place for no deal are:
the provision of "certain air services" between the UK and EU for six months, provided the UK does the same
basic connectivity for road freight and passenger transport for six months, provided the UK does the same
the possibility of reciprocal fishing access for UK and EU vessels in each other's waters for one year, or until an agreement is reached
After Mr Johnson arrived in Brussels on Wednesday evening for a dinner with the head of the EU, Downing Street said there were still "very large gaps" in the talks.
"The PM and VDL agreed to further discussions over the next few days between their negotiating teams," a senior No 10 source said, adding that by Sunday "a firm decision should be taken about the future of the talks".
Ms Von der Leyen tweeted: “We had a lively and interesting discussion on the state of play on outstanding issues. We understand each other’s positions. They remain far apart.
"The teams should immediately reconvene to try to resolve these issues. We will come to a decision by the end of the weekend.”
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The five pillars of Islam
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The five pillars of Islam
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
