British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns to Downing Street following a cabinet meeting at the Foreign and Commonwealth office on Tuesday. Downing Street has warned peers not to try to block controversial legislation overriding key elements of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. (See story on Page 16) Photo: AFP

The UK government on Tuesday urged businesses to get ready for the end of the Brexit transition period in one month's time, as talks on a free trade deal remained deadlocked.

Ministers warned time was running out as the deadline approached, and firms had to finalize preparations to avoid potential disruption when new rules start on January 1.

Britain formally left the EU on January 31, nearly four years after a referendum on membership that divided the nation and paralyzed its politics.

Under the divorce agreement struck with Brussels, it remains bound by EU rules for the rest of 2020. 

Nerves over life outside the bloc are increasingly frayed, given the current impasse in trade negotiations. 

But the government has remained upbeat and argues Britain will prosper whatever the result of the talks.

"Regardless of the outcome of our negotiations with the EU, there are guaranteed changes that businesses must prepare for now," said senior minister Michael Gove. "There is no time to lose."

The plea for readiness came as the government also launched a new Border Operations Centre to be manned around the clock by a team of experts to monitor the UK border. 

It will rely on software that gathers information about the flow of goods and passengers in real time.

Brexit supporters narrowly won the argument for leaving the EU in 2016 with a claim that this would restore Britain's control over its borders.

But there are fears that the country's imminent departure from the bloc's single market and customs union after nearly 50 years could cause chaos at ports and logistics hubs.

AFP