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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been determined from the outset that the Brexit process would be complete by December 31. The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has pleaded with the UK for an extension but yesterday, but this week, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen conceded — as a result, with or without a deal, the UK will be out of the bloc by the end of the year. Representatives from both sides have pointed out that talks are stalling, as they struggle to agree on the bloc’s rights to the fisheries and a “so-called level playing field”.

The BBC’s Europe editor Katya Adler explained earlier this month that “without compromise — on both sides — there will be no trade deal come the end of the year”.

However, she added: “But political rhetoric aside, Boris Johnson and EU leaders want a deal.

“It makes economic sense. This doesn’t mean a deal is certain. But the UK isn’t walking away from talks this month either, as it once threatened to do.”

As the two sides prepare for intensified negotiations over July, a throwback report from the BBC reveals how compromise has caused great “dissatisfaction” between the UK and EU in the past.

Journalist Paul Reynolds wrote a BBC article in 2005, headlined: “UK’s EU reign marked by compromise.”

He was commenting on the UK’s six-month presidency over the European Union, where former Prime Minister and keen europhile Tony Blair took over the rotating role.

Mr Reynolds wrote: “The British presidency of the EU has staggered to the end of its six-month stint with a success on the budget, which it left late and nearly missed.”

Mr Blair agreed in 2002 to an envelope of agricultural spending between 2007 and 2013.

However, this ended up giving France a “lock” on these negotiations, leading the Prime Minister into a sticky situation as he tried to open up the spending again, in exchange for giving up part of the rebate.

This was Margaret Thatcher’s victory from her premiership, when she made a clause which meant the UK got two-thirds of the difference between what it pays in and what it gets out of the budget back.

Mr Reynolds commented: “In the end, Mr Blair got a review of EU spending before the budgetary envelope ends in 2013 – and had to give up some of the increases in the rebate which will rise anyway as the overall budget goes up.

“It was a patched-up sort of affair with no great passion behind it.”

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However, this ended up giving France a “lock” on these negotiations, leading the Prime Minister into a sticky situation as he tried to open up the spending again, in exchange for giving up part of the rebate.

This was Margaret Thatcher’s victory from her premiership, when she made a clause which meant the UK got two-thirds of the difference between what it pays in and what it gets out of the budget back.

Mr Reynolds commented: “In the end, Mr Blair got a review of EU spending before the budgetary envelope ends in 2013 — and had to give up some of the increases in the rebate which will rise anyway as the overall budget goes up.

“It was a patched-up sort of affair with no great passion behind it.”

Mr Reynolds pointed out how the French President Jacques Chirac had praised Mr Blair for his “courage” too, which was “a sure sign that London had given something away”.

The journalist also concluded that Mr Blair’s attempt at presidency was an argument against the rotating presidency of the EU.

He wrote: “To have a country trying to give leadership to the 25-member [now 27] group while protecting its own national interest, as Britain had to do this time, was almost painful to watch.”

The current Croatian presidency will come to an end this month— next month, it will switch to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which may impact the likelihood of a Brexit deal.

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