<p>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen discussed Brexit and the coronavirus crisis in a phone call on Monday evening, an EU source said.</p>.<p>The previously undisclosed conversation came as London and Brussels try to thrash out a last-gasp post-Brexit trade deal and scramble to respond to a new strain of the coronavirus detected in the UK.</p>.<p>Johnson and von der Leyen are pressing to break a logjam over fishing rights with just nine days to go before Britain leaves the EU single market and customs union.</p>.<p>The two sides are haggling over the cut EU fishermen would take to their current catches in Britain's rich waters and the length of a transition period to phase in the changes.</p>.<p>The eleventh-hour talks have risked being overshadowed by the fast-moving crisis over the new coronavirus strain found by London, that has seen countries in Europe and around the world cut travel links to Britain.</p>.<p>The EU is scrambling to come up with a coordinated response after cross-channel traffic was left snarled as France shut down entry for passengers and goods.</p>.<p>Ambassadors from the bloc's 27 members are to meet later Tuesday to try to hammer out a joint plan to allow cargo to start moving again and EU nationals to return home.</p>.<p>While experts say there is no evidence the UK variant of the virus -- one of several mutations -- is more lethal or will affect the impact of vaccines, it may be up to 70 percent more transmissible, according to early data.</p>
<p>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen discussed Brexit and the coronavirus crisis in a phone call on Monday evening, an EU source said.</p>.<p>The previously undisclosed conversation came as London and Brussels try to thrash out a last-gasp post-Brexit trade deal and scramble to respond to a new strain of the coronavirus detected in the UK.</p>.<p>Johnson and von der Leyen are pressing to break a logjam over fishing rights with just nine days to go before Britain leaves the EU single market and customs union.</p>.<p>The two sides are haggling over the cut EU fishermen would take to their current catches in Britain's rich waters and the length of a transition period to phase in the changes.</p>.<p>The eleventh-hour talks have risked being overshadowed by the fast-moving crisis over the new coronavirus strain found by London, that has seen countries in Europe and around the world cut travel links to Britain.</p>.<p>The EU is scrambling to come up with a coordinated response after cross-channel traffic was left snarled as France shut down entry for passengers and goods.</p>.<p>Ambassadors from the bloc's 27 members are to meet later Tuesday to try to hammer out a joint plan to allow cargo to start moving again and EU nationals to return home.</p>.<p>While experts say there is no evidence the UK variant of the virus -- one of several mutations -- is more lethal or will affect the impact of vaccines, it may be up to 70 percent more transmissible, according to early data.</p>