Nominee to lead European commission also says ‘precious’ backstop must be defended.

The UK government has said it remains “absolutely committed” to Brexit negotiations and the December 2020 transition date despite the coronavirus outbreak limiting talks between the two sides.

TWO-THIRDS of Scots want Brexit to be delayed, according to a new poll. With coronavirus engulfing the political machinery of the UK and the EU, Boris Johnson is coming under increasing pressure to extend the transition period beyond December this year.

The European Parliament's new president, Roberta Metsola, on Tuesday vowed to promote the decisions taken by the bloc's lawmakers even if they go against her own convictions.

This week, Orban pulled his Fidesz party from the biggest political group in the European Parliament, the European People's Party (EPP), avoiding an all-but-certain expulsion after changes to its internal rules.

“Under these extraordinary circumstances, I cannot see how the UK government would choose to expose itself to the double whammy of the coronavirus and the exit from the EU single market, which will inevitably add to the disruption, deal or no deal."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged by a group of MEPs to delay his Brexit deadline as countries around the world battle the coronavirus.