Brexit trade talks cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak, No 10 says

Video conference facilities may be used to replace face-to-face talks as officials seek to avoid spreading virus

Trade talks between the EU and UK scheduled for London next week have been cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis.

The face-to-face meetings in Whitehall offices may now be replaced with discussions via video conference-call.

The meeting between Boris Johnson's envoy David Frost and chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier was the second round of negotiations on a proposed free trade deal which is intended to be completed by the end of this year.

The cancellation puts additional pressure on the prime minister, who has so far insisted he will not budge from his ultra-tight self-imposed deadline of 31 December to end the transition period to a new post-Brexit relationship with the EU.

He has already threatened to walk out of talks and take the nation to a no-deal Brexit if sufficient progress is not made by June, leaving Britain with the prospects of new trade barriers and tariffs under World Trade Organisation rules.

The decision to call off the meeting - which would have involved around 100 officials from each side - was taken jointly by the EU and UK.

Discussions are now underway on the option of replacing the face-to-face meeting with talks via another means, such as video-conferencing.

In a joint statement released by 10 Downing Street, the UK and EU negotiators said: “Given the latest Covid-19 developments, UK and EU negotiators have today jointly decided not to hold next week’s round of negotiations in London, in the form originally scheduled.

“Both sides are currently exploring alternative ways to continue discussions, including if possible the use of video conferences.”