Michel Barnier says the trade deal with Lord Frost was "suspended" after Brexit.

Michel Barnier said he and Lord Frost agreed to suspend talks on a post-Brexit trade deal while they update their clients on the state of negotiations.

Michel Barnier said that after a week of “intense negotiations” in London, he and Lord Frost had agreed “that the terms of an agreement are not met due to significant differences in terms of level playing field, governance and fisheries”.

"We have agreed to suspend the talks to update our directors on the state of negotiations," he tweeted.

"President @vonderleyen and Prime Minister Johnson will speak about the state of affairs tomorrow afternoon."

UK ministers will reintroduce controversial terms on Monday that will suspend key parts of the Brexit divorce deal unless a broader agreement is reached by then.

France rattled sabers this morning and publicly threatened a "bad" deal with a veto.

But Emmanuel Macron has to sell any pact to his domestic audience, with fishing being a particular concern. Observers believe the outline of a deal may already be in place and the sites are haggling over details.

UK government sources told MailOnline that claims made in some parts of the EU that an almost-finalized deal was "total rubbish".

And Downing Street said the talks were at a "very difficult point". "Time is very tight and we are at a very difficult point in the talks," said a spokesman.

British negotiators believed they were close yesterday but claim they were hit by a series of new demands from Michel Barnier (pictured with his team in London today).

More sandwiches were delivered for the talks taking place today in the Department for Business in Westminster

The Minister for European Affairs, Clement Beaune (right), told Radio Europe 1 this morning that France "will not accept a deal on bad terms". Boris Johnson (left) is expected to receive a call from the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

The UK negotiators yesterday believed they were close to the terms but complained that they had been hit by a number of new demands from Mr Barnier.

The EU envoy had read the uproar from France over compromise at a meeting with ambassadors earlier this week.

And the Minister for European Affairs, Clement Beaune, told Radio Europe 1 this morning: “I want to say to our fishermen, our producers and the citizens who are listening that we will not accept a deal with bad terms.

“If a good deal cannot be reached, we will speak out against it. Every country has a right of veto, so it is possible … We will make our own assessment of this draft treaty, if there is one. & # 39;

Meanwhile, at an event in Brussels, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said Britain had to "make decisions".

When asked about the status of the talks, the spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Europe was "ready to reach an agreement with Great Britain, but not at any price".

"It's clear there are red lines, but there is always room for compromise," he told reporters.

A block official told Reuters today that an agreement is "imminent" and expected before the end of the weekend unless talks are interrupted at the last minute.

The official insisted the EU stand up to its demands for state aid, saying the UK's warnings were just a nutshell.

They suggested that EU leaders may hold a separate Brexit summit this month, most likely after a video conference meeting already scheduled for December 10-11.

But that was downplayed by other diplomats while British officials made it short.

British officials claim the French are putting pressure on Mr Barnier over concerns in Paris that British companies would use Brexit to undercut competitors on the continent.

"In the eleventh hour the EU brings new elements into the negotiations," a source said overnight.

"A breakthrough is still possible, but that prospect is diminishing."

France is also a strong fishing force and President Emmanuel Macron will suffer major political damage if he fails to protect the country's fleets.

Tory MPs have become increasingly concerned about the possibility of the government making concessions if pressure mounts.

Former Secretary John Redwood said today: “No business is better than bad business. It should be easy to say no to anything that prevents us from being an independent self-governing country. & # 39;

Another Brexiteer MP expressed concern that Mr Johnson's earlier deadlines for ending talks had been breached.

"I'm not exactly sure why you're still talking," they said. However, the Backbencher was also confident that Mr Johnson would hold, adding, "We will not admit."

Any package that emerges will have to be passed by Parliament, and while Mr Johnson has an 80-strong Tory majority, the party's ranks are even more Eurosceptic now than they were before the elections.

The negotiators have been talking late into the night all week, discussing the possibility of taking a break today before resuming tomorrow.

There are rumors that Boris Johnson and EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen will be calling desperately to find a way through the impasse.

Officials have likened the windowless basement room in Whitehall where the negotiations took place to a prison. A source said they believed "Day Release" could be mutually beneficial.

Economic Secretary Alok Sharma said this morning that the talks were in a "difficult" phase and that "a number of tricky questions" remained open.

He told BBC Breakfast: “We are determined to reach an agreement with the EU on this particular discussion we are having.

“But the time is of course short and we are in a difficult phase. That cannot be denied. There are a number of tricky problems that have yet to be resolved.

“The basic point – I want to make this very, very clear to your viewers – is that from the start of these negotiations we have been saying all along, and I have come to your program, other programs, as have other ministers in recent years Months ago, saying that we want the EU to recognize that Britain is a sovereign and independent nation.

& # 39; A deal is made on that basis.

“It's difficult, but we work hard. David Frost and his team are working incredibly hard on this in good faith. Let's see where we're going. & # 39;

Irish Foreign Secretary Simon Coveney said yesterday that he believed there was still a "good chance" of reaching an agreement.

"It is time to keep your nerve and trust Michel Barnier who has done a phenomenal job so far," he said.

"I think if we do that there is a good chance we can get a deal across the line in the next few days."

Businesses are becoming increasingly frustrated with the uncertainty surrounding trade agreements once the UK leaves the single market and customs union at the end of the year. Ken Murphy, CEO of Tesco, told Sky News the supermarket chain is preparing for no deal.

"We have done everything in our power to ensure that we are well positioned to continue trading and delivering to our customers regardless of whether there is a no deal Brexit or not," he said.

“The biggest challenge we face is product movement between borders, product movement between the UK and Northern Ireland and of course between mainland Europe and the UK.

"In this area we would like to urge the government to clarify and better prepare the event for the end of December."

Mr Johnson tried yesterday to increase the pressure by threatening to bring the controversial laws back before MPs.

Commons chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said Britain's single market law will return on Monday after peers removed clauses giving ministers the power to repeal parts of the EU withdrawal agreement. The government is likely to step down if an agreement is reached.

Last month, the House of Lords inflicted its greatest legislative defeat in over two decades on the government.

Tory grandees, including Michael Howard and Ken Clarke, joined the revolt when peers voted 433-165 to remove key clauses.

Mr Rees-Mogg told MPs yesterday: “We will be making the changes in the Lords on Monday and pushing back any changes that have been made in the Lords – including those related to Clause 5 and making sure we are the best May represent interests of the whole of the UK first. & # 39;

Union leader Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that any time he voted in the House of Commons, his party would likely support an EU trade deal.

During a visit to Portsmouth he said: "As soon as there is a deal we will look at it, but if the choice is a deal or no deal then a deal is obviously in the national interest."