Former Brexit Party MEP Rupert Lowe has revealed he once had a conversation with the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, where Michel Barnier indicated he didnt think the UKs threats had any weight. The Brexiteer said he hopes Britain can hold its nerve against the bloc, as the talks between the two sides intensify.

Mr Lowe wrote on Twitter: When I spoke to Barnier about Brexit, it was always clear he never actually expected the UK Government to follow through.

Has the penny dropped? I really hope Frost can hold his nerve. We've played Barnier's game for far too long.

It comes as the UK prepares to host Japan for trade talks tomorrow.

Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will fly into London tomorrow for the start of the three-day trade talks with Liz Truss, Secretary of State for International Trade.

JUST IN:Barnier fears major disruption for EU on January 1 in 39 page dossier

The Japanese Foreign Minister will stay in the UK from August 5-7, with a deal expected to be signed in just a matter of weeks.

Japan and the UK will hope to bring talks on a free trade agreement to a close this week.

Such an outcome should be achievable, as the trade deal is set to be largely replicated on the EU-Japan trade agreement, but with added bonuses for both sides.

The Japan-UK trade deal will come into force when the EU transition period ends on December 31.

Mr Motegis visit to London will be the first overseas trip made by any Japanese minister since the coronavirus outbreak.

FOLLOW EXPRESS.CO.UK FOR LIVE UPDATES:

4.30pm update: Joe Biden to 'favour US-EU deal' in major UK blow

Joe Biden could scupper a US-UK trade deal in favour of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the EU if he becomes US President, a scholar has claimed.

International Trade Secretary Liz Trussis expected to meet her US counterpart Robert Lightizer in Washington on Monday for the third round of talks to reach a trade deal between the two countries.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson put an agreement with the US at the heart of his plans to revive the British afterBrexit, and Ms Trusss decision to travel during the coronavirus pandemic highlights Londons willingness to broker a deal.

As the Brexit deadline looms closer and closer, the medicine suppliers have been warned to stockpile drugs as part of contingency plans.

The Department of Health issued a letter which read: "We recognise that global supply chains are under significant pressure, exacerbated by recent events with Covid-19.

"However, we encourage companies to make stockpiling a key part of contingency plans, and ask industry, where possible, to stockpile to a target level of six weeks total stock on UK soil."

3.20pm update: Migrants arrive in Dover after July spike

More than 1,000 migrants entered the UK throughout July and today, Border Force have stopped more people trying to illegally enter the country.

Pictures show men wearing lifejackets being brought into the Kent port via a Border Force speedboat.

The migrants are seen boarding a coach by officials in yellow vests.

3pm update: Steven Brown takes over fromEmily Ferguson

2.23pm update:Details emerge on Barnier's latest bid to avoid no deal

Details are emerging on Michel Barnier's latest compromise offer to the UK, as the EU continues to give ground in Brexit negotiations as it attempts to avoid a no deal scenario.

State aid has been one of the key issues between the two sides with Mr Johnson demanding Britain be free of EU state aid rules, environmental or social standards.

Instead of tying the UK into EU regulations and rules, Mr Barnier will present a hybrid model using an arbitration board to determine each individual case.

The concept of state aid is whereby resources are granted to companies in order to give them assistance.

EU officials have demanded an agreement on the concept in order to stop the UK from undercutting businesses to become a more attractive destination for organisations.

Although the EU may drop demands on the issue, one diplomat insisted there must be guarantees from the UK on state aid if trade to the bloc is to be maintained.

1.17pm update: Brussels dismiss calls for Brexit deal to be rewritten

The European Commission has rejected calls for the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to be rewritten after senior Tories complained it could leave the UK liable for 160 billion of unpaid loans.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the deal means we are "hooked into the EU's loan book".

But Brussels said the commitments made in the Withdrawal Agreement - the divorce deal signed by Boris Johnson and the 27 EU members - are reasonable and will stand.

Commission spokesman Eric Mamer insisted that the Withdrawal Agreement is a "firm document" which is not going to be rewritten.

He said: "I think it's very clear that we are not going to get into a debate with British politicians on liabilities or any other of the provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement.

"The Withdrawal Agreement is there, it is now a firm document that has been accepted by both parties and it is the basis on which both sides are acting.

"In this document it is clear that that the United Kingdom has taken a certain number of completely normal legal commitments when it comes to its share of liabilities related to loans that would have been given by the EIB whilst the UK was still a member of the European Union."

12.23pm update:Government braced for six months of Dover border chaos

Ministers have admitted they are braced for six months of significant border disruption at Dover at the conclusion of the EU transition period, new documents reveal.

The new document lays bare concerns over the looming prospect of a no deal Brexit, warning that disruption to cross-Channel travel is expected until the middle of next year - and could last until October 2021 in the worst-case scenario.

The document said delays would be caused by "low levels of border readiness" among lorry drivers and warned that "significant numbers" could be stopped by the French authorities.

11.15am update:Should Boris Johnson call Michel Barnier's bluff and force no deal?

Express.co.uk is asking its readers whether you think Boris Johnson should call Mr Barnier's bluff and force a no deal? Vote in our exclusive poll.

10.48am update: Scotland to lose 4billion over Brexit

A bombshell report from experts at Warwick University has found people were left up to 9,000 worse off since the date of the controversial vote to leave the European Union despite most of Scotland voting in favour of staying in the EU.

The study found Aberdeen had been hit the hardest as it lost more than 2billion leaving the city 9,000 worse off per head of population.

This was despite less than 39 percent of the electorate voting to leave the EU.

Across Scotland on average, the study found the country had lost 736 per head of population as a result of Brexit whilst Orkney where the Prime Minister recently visited would be about 3800 worse off.

In total, Scotland lost 3.94billion since the 2016 vote up to 2019.

9.55am update:Government urges companies to stockpile medicines

The Government has warned pharmaceutical companies in the UK to stockpile six weeks' worth of drugs in preparation for the end of the Brexit transition period in December.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) wrote a letter to medicine suppliers encouraging them to prioritise stocking their reserves to protect against any disruption that may happen in January.

The letter advised the companies to prepare for all scenarios when the UK leaves the Brexit transition period.

It highlighted the concerns around how the coronavirus crisis has caused a dwindling of some medical stocks.

8.54am update:EU could accommodate Britiain in Brexit negotiations

The EU could accommodate Britain in the struggle for a trade agreement, according to EU insiders.

The examination of state aid for British companies would not have to be implemented according to EU rules, EU diplomats said on Monday to the Reuters news agency.

Instead, a kind of arbitration board could be used as a compromise.

However, this must be based on fixed framework conditions and monitored independently, a diplomat said.

The question of fair competitive conditions for companies on both sides of the channel is a central issue in the deadlocked negotiations.

The 27 EU states have demanded guarantees from the British if they want to continue selling goods on the continent.

However, Boris Johnson does not want to be subject to EU aid rules, environmental or social standards.

Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg

8.30am update: Britons fled to Europe after 2016 Brexit vote

The number of Britons emigrating to the EU has risen by 30 percent since the 2016 vote, with half making their decision to leave in the first three months after the referendum.

Migration from Britain to the EU averaged at 56,832 people a year in 2008-15, rising to 73,642 a year in 2016-18, according to analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Eurostat.

The research found a large increase in Britons who made the move and then took up citizenship in an EU state.

Germany saw a 2,000 percent rise, with 31,600 Britons becoming a citizen there since the referendum.

Co-author Daniel Tetlow said Brexit was by far the most dominant driver of migration decisions since 2016.

Link:

Brexit LIVE: Barnier reveals in private chat he's NEVER believed UK no deal threat serious - Daily Express