EU Brexit negotiator Barnier tests positive for Covid-19

The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he had tested positive for Covid-19, further throwing into doubt the timetable for trade talks with the UK.

“I am doing well and in good spirits. I am following all the necessary instructions, as is my team,” he said. “For all those affected already, and for all those currently in isolation, we will get through this together.”

The second round of negotiations due to take place this week was cancelled on Tuesday, including video-conferencing as British civil servants were reallocated to deal with the coronavirus.

The next round of talks was scheduled for April 6 and fourth and fifth rounds for April 27 and May 13.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted he would not ask for an extension to the Brexit transition period, due to come to an end in December, because of the virus.

"It's not a subject that's being regularly discussed, I can tell you, in Downing Street at the moment," he told a news conference. "There is legislation in place that I have no intention of changing."