UK, EU agree to go 'extra mile' with Brexit trade talks

The United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) have agreed to carry on post-Brexit trade talks after a call between leaders earlier on Sunday.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a joint statement said it was "responsible at this point to go the extra mile," reports the BBC.

The pair discussed "major unresolved topics" during their call. But they agreed to tell negotiators to carry on talks in Brussels "to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached".

Earlier this week,  Johnson and von der Leyen set a deadline of Sunday to decide whether to abandon negotiations or keep them going.

Johnson is now holding a discussion with his cabinet to talk to them about the decision.

British PM Johnson: We're very far apart on Brexit trade deal

UK's Labour party called on the government "deliver on the promise" of securing a deal to "allow us to move on as a country".

The UK and EU have been carrying out negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal since March and are attempting to secure one before the so-called transition period end on 31 December - when the two sides would move to trading on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Without a trade deal, tariffs - charges on goods being bought and sold between the two sides - could be introduced and, in turn, prices on certain products may go up.

There are two key sticking points preventing an agreement - competition rules and fishing rights - and negotiators will now continue to hash theses issues out.

Making a statement from the Commission in Brussels, von der Leyen said the call with Johnson had been "constructive and useful".

She added: "Despite the exhaustion after almost a year of negotiations, despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we think it is responsible at this point to go the extra mile."