Brexit talks inch towards a last-minute deal—but it is not done yet

THE GOVERNMENT is urging businesses to step up preparations for the end of Britain’s transition out of the European Union on December 31st. This week Michael Gove, the cabinet office minister, announced the setting up of a new border operations centre, adding that significant change was coming with or without a trade deal. Yet many companies retorted that uncertainty over the negotiations made proper preparation all but impossible.

This week’s talks in London have made some progress, yet the old gaps remain over fisheries and a level playing-field for competition. Officials suggest Boris Johnson now needs to intervene to seal a deal. The prime minister is under pressure, especially after a big backbench Tory revolt on December 1st against his new covid-19 tier system. But Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group, a consultancy, sees little sign of early readiness to give more ground to the EU. And the mooted inclusion of more unilateral (and illegal) changes to the Northern Ireland provisions of the withdrawal treaty in next week’s finance bill could upset the applecart again.

As repeated Brexit deadlines come and go, the timetable for ratifying a trade treaty that runs to some 800 pages (plus annexes) becomes ever tighter. Getting a deal through Westminster should not be hard even with another revolt by hardline Tories,...