Brexit negotiations will continue despite a self-imposed Sunday deadline to get a deal before the UK leaves the EU. "It is responsible at this point in time to go the extra mile," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday. The negotiations will continue in Brussels, she added. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson meanwhile said the country would "certainly" not be "walking away from the talks" and that they should "continue to try" to find a deal. Johnson repeated however that they "remain very far apart" on key issues and should prepare for trading on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms without a deal. "What we can't do is compromise on that fundamental nature of what Brexit is all about which is us being able to control our laws, control our fisheries," said Johnson. The EU chief and UK prime minister had attempted to bridge the divide on Brexit this past week, including at a Wednesday night dinner, but so far they have not been able to agree on several key issues. The leaders had set Sunday as a final deadline to decide whether they can get a deal before the UK officially leaves the bloc on Dec. 31 but said that despite "the exhaustion after almost a year of negotiations," they would "go the extra mile". Both sides have said that they remain far apart on issues such as access to UK waters and fair-competition rules. If the UK leaves without a deal, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News on Sunday, "the French and others will have zero access assured to UK waters". The country, on Saturday, confirmed plans to deploy Royal Navy boats to control its waters as an "independent coastal state". Plans to deploy Royal Navy ships to patrol UK coastal waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit on Jan. 1 have been roundly criticized by politicians in both the UK and EU. Under plans drawn up by the UK government, four 80-meter-long vessels, armed with cannons and machine guns, would have the power to stop, board and impound any EU-flagged fishing trawler operating within the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In addition, 14,000 military personnel have been put on standby. The move, which was confirmed by the UK Ministry of Defense on Saturday, is reminiscent of the escalation, which led to the so-called "Cod Wars" in the 1970s between the UK and Iceland. British and Icelandic fishing boats were regularly rammed with shots fired and fishing nets cut. In a statement, the UK government said: "We will have a range of robust enforcement measures in place to protect our rights as an independent coastal state at the end of the transition period. "This includes numerous patrol vessels across military and marine organizations that are used to provide physical presence, deterrence and inspection capability, complemented by satellite-based surveillance technology". Tobias Ellwood, a senior Conservative MP and chair of the Commons Defense Committee, branded the move as "irresponsible". Taking to Twitter on Friday, he said: "Global threats increasing, Navy overstretched. Here we are squaring up to a NATO ally as beneath the same sea increased Russian sub/ drone activity goes unchecked". He added: "Our friends (US) watch in dismay. Our foes (China/Russia) in joy. Let's raise our game & get a deal". Responding to news of the plans in an interview with Irish broadcaster RTE on Saturday, Fianna Fail MEP Barry Andrews said: "I think it is irresponsible. It's completely inappropriate. It's 19th-century gun boat diplomacy". He added: "This announcement was made yesterday [Friday], the day after the European Commission published a regulation that would have allowed for reciprocal access to each other's fishing waters. "It is very disappointing to see this and it doesn't bode well for an accord being reached in the next 48 hours". — Euronews
