The UK and EU have decided to return to the negotiating table to try to agree a post-Brexit trade deal, despite “significant differences”.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made the decision during a phone call on Saturday.
A statement said there were three “critical issues” to address.
Negotiating teams will reconvene in Brussels on Sunday, and the leaders will speak again on Monday evening.
In the joint statement from Johnson and Ms Von der Leyen, they said fishing rights, competition rules and how any deal is enforced were still causing problems, with the statement adding: “Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved.”
But the leaders continued: “Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved.”
The BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said the next meeting “feels like a last roll of the dice, rather than ironing out a few last minute glitches”, and the next 48 hours would be “critical”.
The UK left the EU on 31 January but remains under EU trading rules until the end of the year.
The two sides have been holding talks since March in an attempt to secure a deal before this time, which is called the transition period, ends on 31 December.
If a deal is not agreed by that point, tariffs – or taxes on goods – could come into force.
But the same three sticking points have stopped negotiating teams coming to an agreement, and on Friday, talks came to an end with both sides saying “significant divergences” remained.
In their statement, Johnson and Von der Leyen said they “welcomed the fact that progress has been achieved in many areas”.
But, they added: “Nevertheless, significant differences remain on three critical issues: level playing field, governance and fisheries. Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved.
“Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved.”
The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted after the statement was published, saying: “We will see if there is a way forward.”
Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin also took to Twitter, welcoming the news that the teams would resume trade talks.
He said: “An agreement is in everyone’s best interests. Every effort should be made to reach a deal.”
Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said: “The British people were promised a deal and, with time running out, we urge both sides to get on with reaching an agreement.”
The two sides in this complicated and drawn out process have agreed that it is worth trying one last time to find a way through their profound differences.
But the statements from the prime minister and the EU chief, Ursula von der Leyen, signal clearly that a trade deal is out of reach right now – spelling out that if no-one budges in the next few days, it’s simply not going to happen.
Follow us on:
