BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Extending a so-called transition period after Britain leaves the European Union is an idea that has come up in Brexit negotiations in recent days, a senior British government official said on Thursday.

While extending the transition period beyond December 2020 is an option, the government would not expect to have to implement such an extension as it wants to conclude a deal with the EU before then, the official said.

“This is at a very early point, I think the key issue here is that we wouldn’t intend ever for this extension period to be used,” the official said.