Brexit deal may be announced within ‘a few hours’

THE UK and EU are reportedly ‘within hours’ of reaching a Brexit trade deal.

Boris Johnson and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen have been locked in last-ditch secret talks to secure a Brexit deal.

This was after expats in Spain were left in a Brexit limbo after the crucial deadline for a trade deal between the UK and EU was missed.

Despite negotiators inching towards an agreement, Sunday’s deadline passed with France sticking to its ‘red lines’ over fishing rights in British waters. 

However, as the clock ticks towards the UK’s departure from the EU on January 1, there still remains hope that continuing negotiations could avoid a no-deal Brexit.

Now leaks from number 10 say that a deal is imminent, and could be announced by Johnson at any moment. But any agreement would still have to be ratified by the EU parliament.

One of the main concerns for negotiators – and the vast majority of British expats in Spain – is that all 27 EU nations must agree to the deal…and France has the right to veto it.

The EU Council of Ministers had given midnight on Sunday as the cut off point if they were to have time to ratify the deal in the EU parliament before the end of the year.

Since then Prime Minister Johnson and the von der Leyen have been holding regular ‘secret’ phone calls in a bid to break the deadlock, with an aim of coming to an agreement before Christmas.