After a two-week break in the negotiations, Michel Barnier and David Frost will today kickstart a month of back-to-back negotiating rounds, in an attempt to break the deadlock over a future UK-EU trade agreement. Meeting face to face in Brussels, the pair will lead a series of specialised sessions on the areas of greatest contention, namely fisheries, the level-playing field and criminal justice cooperation.
With the deadline to extend the transition period set to expire on Wednesday, MPs in Westminster will be focussed on domestic preparations, with the Government’s flagship Immigration Bill set to undergo its final phase of scrutiny in the Commons. Meanwhile in the Lords, Peers will have their eye on the international stage, with Committees set to scrutinise the impact of a UK-US trade agreement and the Government’s plans for future UK-EU cooperation on international development.