Talks on to avert collapse of trust between Britain and EU over Brexit deal

LONDON - Senior officials from the European Union (EU) are in London for emergency talks designed to avert a catastrophic collapse in trust between Britain and the EU, after the British government announced plans to violate a treaty governing relations between Britain and Europe.

European negotiators still hope to avoid a major showdown. The British threat to ignore treaty obligations only kicks in should London and the continent fail to reach a broader agreement about their trade relations by the end of this year.