Newspaper headlines: ‘Deadlock at dinner’ as Brexit trade talks ‘go badly’

image captionBrexit makes the front pages of many of Thursday’s newspapers, after Boris Johnson went to Brussels for trade deal talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Daily Telegraph says the talks went badly, but the two sides now have until Sunday to reach a deal. The PM was “downbeat about the chances of an agreement” following his three-hour dinner with Ms von der Leyen, the paper says – but the pair had a “frank discussion about the significant obstacles that remain”.

image captionFish was definitely on the menu at Mr Johnson and Ms Ursula von der Leyen’s working dinner, the Metro jokes, referring to both the row over fishing and also the turbot that the politicians ate as the main course. The pair initially spoke for half an hour before being joined by the chief negotiators Lord Frost and Michel Barnier.

image captionThe Daily Mail calls the night of talks “dramatic” – but that the dinner failed to break the deadlock over the trade deal. It described the statement from the UK government source that was issued after the talks – which said large gaps remained between the two sides – as “gloomy”. By Sunday, the UK could be heading out of the EU without a trade deal, the paper says.

image captionThe i newspaper also reports on the deadline to agree a Brexit deal being extended to Sunday, and says officials Lord Frost and Mr Barnier will meet again later on Thursday to resume talks. Fishing and regulatory standards remain the main obstacles in reaching a deal, the paper adds.

image captionMr Johnson made clear at the talks that a trade deal between the UK and EU was still possible, the Guardian reports, and he also set out his red lines for the final days of negotiations. But Europe is preparing for the worst, the paper says, quoting EU sources as saying that they plan to publish their no-deal contingency plans “very soon indeed”.

image captionThe Daily Express’s front page also reports on the message that Mr Johnson gave to the EU last night, reporting that he “was standing firm” over sovereignty and fishing rights. The paper says the EU was attempting to “punish” Britain for leaving the bloc.

image captionThe Times says Mr Johnson last night told the EU that no prime minister could accept their demands. The paper says the pair discussed post-Brexit fishing rights over dinner, and suggests it came “amid signs that the government was preparing to give ground”. Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has hinted that his party would back a trade deal, the paper adds.

image captionSupermarket giant Tesco is stockpiling food in warehouses for the new year, the Daily Mirror reports, amid fears a post-Brexit trade deal will not be reached. Tesco’s chairman John Allan warned there could be empty shelves and soaring prices if there is no deal, the paper reports. “We’re stockpiling as much as we can,” he said.

image captionCoronavirus lockdown restrictions make the front page of the Sun, which reports that pub landlords are asking the PM for help. The paper says just one fifth of pubs could be open this Christmas because of “crippling” Covid tier rules that force some pubs to shut. It estimates that nearly 10,000 pubs will shut for good, meaning a loss of up to 290,000 jobs. Landlords have called the new tier rules “lockdown by the back door”, the paper adds.

image captionThe Daily Star reports on the story involving Sky News presenter Kay Burley and three of her colleagues, who have been taken off air while an investigation is carried out into whether they breached Covid rules. The Star’s front page focuses on another Sky TV presenter who, the paper claims, retweeted a tweet that criticised his colleagues.