It’s time to prepare for a no-trade-deal Brexit, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday, just hours after the country’s biggest grocer warned of potential food shortages if there is disruption after the Brexit transition period ends.
Johnson’s announcement heralds a final showdown between the U.K. and the European Union over the question of whether the two sides can strike a free-trade agreement that can be in place by Jan. 1. It comes the day after the Prime Minister’s self-imposed deadline for reaching a deal—that has definitely not yet been reached.
