Johnson says he doesn't want no-deal Brexit but can live with it

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks outside 10 Downing Street after recovering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, April 27, 2020. REUTERS/John Sibley

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday he did not particularly wish for the Brexit transition period to end without a new trade deal being in place, but that Britain could live with such an outcome.

The transition period ends on Dec. 31 and intensive negotiations are ongoing between London and Brussels. Johnson said a deal was there to be done but there were still difficult issues that needed to be fixed.

Asked during a BBC television interview whether he was worried about the potential impact of a no-deal situation in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Johnson said: “I don’t want the Australian WTO-type outcome particularly, but we can more than live with it.”