Amid COVID-19 crisis, UK PM Boris Johnson faces pressure to push Brexit transition period

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing fresh pressure to delay the deadline set for the official transition of the United Kingdom from the European Union. According to reports, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have warned of a possible no-deal Brexit if Johnson presses to go ahead with the December 31 deadline. The MEPs also said that if the deadline is not pushed the British economy could face a double impact with coronavirus recession already looming large in a lot of countries, including the United Kingdom. 

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The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) has warned that the only responsible thing for the United Kingdom to do at the moment is to extend the deadline because the current period is too tight to work out a deal. The talks between the European Union and the United Kingdom came to a halt after chief negotiators of both sides tested positive for coronavirus. Europe is currently gripped by its throat as more than 28,000 people have lost their lives in the region. Italy, Spain, France and the United Kingdom are the most affected countries in the bloc with a combined death toll of more than 24,000. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

COVID-19 has claimed more than 38,700 lives across the world and has infected more than 7,99,700 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The United States and France are on the verge of overtaking China in terms of the number of deaths recorded in these countries. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

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(Image Credit: AP)