Britain may not be able to reach a divorce deal with the European Union because a number of contentious issues still stand in the way, trade minister Liam Fox said LONDON: Britain may not be able to reach a divorce deal with the European Union because a number of contentious issues still stand in the way, trade minister Liam Fox said on Saturday. “We are seeing a difficult end to the negotiation,” he told Sky News. Asked what would happen if Britain failed to get its way over outstanding issues such as Northern Ireland, he said: “Well in that case we may not be able to reach an agreement with the European Union.”