THE UK has been accused of ‘running down the clock’ on Brexit talks by the EU’s chief negotiator.

Michel Barnier has hit out at Boris Johnson’s government for failing to “commit seriously on a number of fundamental points” as the second round of talks got under way this week.

He said there are “legitimate” questions over whether the trade talks should continue, given that the UK refuses to extend the transition period for Brexit.

In a speech this afternoon the bureaucrat said: “The UK cannot refuse to extend the position, and at the same time, slow down discussions on important areas.

“The UK cannot impose this short, brief timeline, and at the same time not budget to make progress on the topics that are of importance to the EU.”

He also said that a trade deal could not be agreed unless it included “ a balanced, sustainable and long-term solution on fisheries.”

Downing Street said the talks made “limited progress” but that negotiations had been “full and constructive”.

A spokesman said: “Our assessment is that there was some promising convergence in the core areas of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), for example on goods and services trade, and related issues such as energy, transport, and civil nuclear cooperation.

“We regret however that the detail of the EU’s offer on goods trade falls well short of recent precedent in FTAs it has agreed with other sovereign countries.”

The spokesman said there were “significant differences” in other areas, and added: “We will not make progress on the so called “level playing field”...until the EU drops its insistence on imposing conditions on the UK which are not found in the EU’s other trade agreements and which do not take account of the fact that we have left the EU as an independent state.

“On fisheries, the EU’s mandate appears to require us to accept a continuance of the current quotas agreed under the Common Fisheries Policy. We will only be able to make progress here on the basis of the reality that the UK will have the right to control access to its waters at the end of this year.”

SNP MPs have urged the government to extend the transition period, saying it is the “only responsible option”.

Alyn Smith, Shadow Foreign Secretary, said:”It would be unthinkable for the Tory government to hammer the economy with a hard Brexit at a time when it will need all the help it can get to protect jobs, businesses and living standards.

“Tory ministers must cast aside the Brexit dogma, take their responsibilities seriously, and agree an extension of the maximum two years on offer, so we can get to the other side of this emergency.

“Securing an extension is the only responsible option. Crashing out of the EU with a bad deal or no deal this year would be the final blow for many businesses that are already struggling to survive - and it would leave people even poorer and worse off at a time of greatest need.”