EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says he is "disappointed concerned and surprised" by talks and accuses the UK of having "no willingness to move forward on fundamental issues... despite the flexibility the EU has shown in recent months".

Barnier says they need a "long term perspective" for European fishing and adds there won't be any "cherry picking" or "a la carte" access for the UK.

Health warning - it's become a bit of a Friday tradition for both UK & EU to finish a round of talks and come out beating their chests and saying everything is going badly & there's no hope & the other side is to blame.

And like clockwork...

UK Brexit negotiator David Frost says there has been "little progress" in talks. Adds EU is insisting the UK signs up to state aid & fisheries policy & needs to realise negotiators will never do that.

And now Michel Barnier...

An agreement between the UK and EU is "unlikely" - he adds I "simply do not understand why we are wasting valuable time".

Sure I've heard that before

UK negotiator David Frost...

"We are seeking a relationship which ensures we regain sovereign control of our own laws, borders, and waters... When the EU accepts this reality in all areas of the negotiation, it will be much easier to make progress".

Sticking points are familiar ones...

- State aid rules in the level playing field agreement.
- Fishing (no progress on quotas this week).
- Trucking & haulage.

But amid all the chest-beating & doom-mongering it does sound like there has been better news in a fair few others areas...

Such as...

Services, law enforcement, energy, aviation, EHIC & UK participation in other schemes such as Horizon, Euratom & Erasmus.

Who was it that tweeted the other week that the negotiators may just be turning up and going...

UK - 'Are you allowed to compromise yet?'.
EU - 'Nope, you?'.
UK - 'Nope'.

Well, that.