Gaps in Brexit talks "very very big", Sunday deadline might slip - senior EU official

A senior EU official said Sunday's target date for a Brexit deal might well turn into another missed deadline in the saga, adding that the latest developments in EU-UK talks did not leave them "very optimistic".

"The only certainty I have is that Jan. 1 comes after Dec. 31," the official said, referring to the date when Britain leaves the EU's single market and customs union, leaving behind its current free trade arrangements with the 27-nation bloc.

The official, who took part in the Thursday-Friday summit of the EU's national leaders in Brussels that briefly looked at the latest in Brexit, said gaps in talks on a new trade deal between London and the bloc were still "very very big".