The UK Health Minister said on Monday that Britain is ready for any outcome of trade talks with the European Union, adding that he hoped the EU would negotiate to reach an agreement. "The Prime Minister is working hard to reach an agreement. I hope that there is movement on the part of the European Union and we can achieve this. However, we are ready for any outcome," he told parliament.

On Sunday, London and Brussels agreed to "make additional efforts" to try and reach a trade agreement.

"We want to reach an agreement because it is still possible to do so," Michel Barnier, the European Union's Brexit negotiator, told reporters.

"Two more conditions have not yet been met. This is fair and free competition ... as well as a contract that guarantees mutual access to water and markets. It is on these issues that we have not reached a balance with the UK. Accordingly, we continue to work on it."

The UK believes that because it has made efforts on equal terms, while the EU should respond with reciprocal concessions on fishing quotas. "But it's not like that," said Barnier.

Barnier told MEPs that the government had submitted a document on fisheries on Monday only to take it off the table on Thursday, and that Downing Street was seeking to "nationalize" fishing vessels, insisting that British-flagged vessels should be British-owned.

According to Barnier, the UK's move on the so-called "evolution clause," which provides for the use of unilateral tariffs in the event of a significant discrepancy in standards, also left work on how this will work in practice.

"Negotiations remain difficult and we have not made significant progress in recent days, despite the UK's efforts to bring energy and ideas to the process," the UK government said. Inaccurate briefings from the EU in recent days have made the difficult discussion even more difficult in the short period of time we have left."

French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune stated on Monday that the talks should move quickly. "It will be very difficult to reach an agreement before the end of the week," he said.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, on the other hand, said that there was no rush. "As long as an agreement is possible, we will continue negotiations," he said.

"Success depends on whether London wants a fair deal and is willing to make the inevitable compromises."