Talks due to take place by conference call on Wednesday have been scrapped and plans to publish the UK’s hopes for a future trade agreement shelved.

Downing Street insisted the legal position was still “the transition period ends on 31 December 2020”, but – for the first time – did not state it would definitely conclude on that date.

The second round of the negotiations was already in disarray after face-to-face talks were scrapped, with around 100 EU negotiators unable to travel from Brussels.

The two sides had been attempting to set up complex conference calls instead, but even that has now been abandoned – with no obvious restart date in sight.

Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Show all 20 1 /20 Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Top: Nabi Younes market, Mosul Bottom: Charles Bridge, Prague Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Grand Mosque, Mecca A combination photo shows Muslim pilgrims wearing protective face masks, following the outbreak of the coronavirus, as they pray at Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia March 3, 2020 (top) and general view of Kaaba at the Grand Mosque which is almost empty of worshippers, after Saudi authority suspended umrah (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) amid the fear of coronavirus outbreak, at Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Ganoo Essa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY GANOO ESSA Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sagrada Familia, Barcelona A combination photo shows tourists gathering around Sagrada Familia basilica, before closing it and suspending its construction work as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus outbreak in Barcelona, Spain March 11, 2020. Picture taken March 11, 2020 and an empty street of tourists as basilica stopped receiving visitors and suspend its construction work as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Barcelona, Spain March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce NACHO DOCE Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Nabi Younes market, Mosul A combination picture shows people shopping at the Nabi Younes market (top) March 11, 2020 and the empty market during a curfew imposed by Iraqi authorities, following the outbreak of coronavirus, in east Mosul, Iraq March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid ABDULLAH RASHID Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Basra Grand Mosque, Iraq A combination picture shows worshipers walking out after performing prayers at Basra Grand Mosque in Basra, Iraq March 12, 2020 and the mosque seen empty after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani ESSAM AL-SUDANI Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Charles Bridge, Prague A combination picture shows tourists walking across the medieval Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic, November 7, 2019 and the bridge empty as the Czech government restricts movement of people to slow the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Czech Republic, March 16, 2020. REUTERS/David W Cerny DAVID W CERNY Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Taj Mahal hotel, India A combination picture shows the Taj Mahal hotel, November 25, 2018 and after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention in Mumbai, India March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas FRANCIS MASCARENHAS Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Dubai Mall, UAE A combination picture shows people at Dubai Mall (top), following the outbreak of coronavirus, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2020 and the mall seen almost empty of customers, as precaution amid the outbreak of coronavirus, March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Satish Kumar SATISH KUMAR SUBRAMANI Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon A combination picture shows men gathered at a beach in Beirut March 12, 2020, and the gathering place seen empty after Lebanon declared a medical state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, in Beirut, Lebanon March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir MOHAMED AZAKIR Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Gateway of India, Mumbai A combination picture shows the Gateway of India, August 18, 2016 and after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention in Mumbai, India March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/Francis Mascarenhas FRANCIS MASCARENHAS Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt A combination picture shows students attending a lecture at Cairo University (top) in Cairo, Egypt, February 12, 2020 and seats seen empty at the lecture hall following government efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Shokry Hussien TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SHOKRY HUSSIEN Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan A combination picture shows tourists posing for a picture at Amman Citadel, March 10, 2020, and the citadel seen empty after its closure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Jordan, in Amman, Jordan March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed MUHAMMAD HAMED Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem A combination picture shows visitors, wearing masks as a preventive measure against coronavirus, arriving at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 5, 2020, and the same area seen almost empty of people following the closure of the church to prevent the spread of the coronavirus March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma MUSSA ISSA QAWASMA Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Beirut March, Lebanon A combination picture shows people walking at Beirut's seaside Corniche March 15, 2020, and the corniche seen empty after Lebanon declared a medical state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, in Beirut, Lebanon March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir MOHAMED AZAKIR Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo, Egypt A combination picture shows school children leaving the primary school of Omar El Mokhtar in Cairo, Egypt March 11, 2020 and the school seen closed following government efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Rania Gomaa RANIA GOMAA Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Cairo University, Egypt A combination picture shows school children lining up at start of the day classes in Thamret Al Tawfiq School (top) in Cairo, Egypt March 8, 2020, and the school seen empty following government efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Hanaa Habib STRINGER Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Victoria Memorial, India A combination picture shows the historic Victoria Memorial monument June 21, 2019 and after the government tightened up measures for coronavirus prevention, in Kolkata, India March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan A combination picture shows tourists visiting the Amman Citadel, March 10, 2020, and the citadel seen empty after its closure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, in Amman, Jordan March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed MUHAMMAD HAMED Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Amman Citadel, Jordan A combination picture shows tourists visiting the pillars of the Roman Temple of Hercules at the Amman Citadel, March 10, 2020, and the citadel seen empty after its closure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, in Amman, Jordan March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed MUHAMMAD HAMED Reuters Before and after photos show impact of coronavirus around the world Sidon, Lebanon A combination picture shows people playing cards inside a cafe, March 12, 2020, and the cafe seen closed after Lebanon declared a medical state of emergency as part of the preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, in Sidon, Lebanon March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho ALI HASHISHO Reuters

The move dramatically cuts the odds on the UK having to seek an extension to the transition beyond 2020, to avoid the tumult of a hard Brexit – or a no-deal Brexit – being piled on the massive disruption from the pandemic.

Previously, No 10 has insisted that will not happen, but today’s statement stated simply: “The transition period ends on 31 December 2020. This is enshrined in UK law.”

Michael Gove, who is overseeing the talks, had pledged to publish a draft free trade agreement (FTA) before tomorrow, but this will now happen “in the near future”.

A government spokesman said: “In light of the latest guidance on coronavirus, we will not formally be convening negotiating work strands tomorrow in the way we did in the previous round.

“We expect to share a draft FTA alongside the draft legal texts of a number of the standalone agreements in the near future still, as planned.”

One report suggested the UK is already privately preparing the ground to agree an extension in the coming weeks, as both sides struggle to focus on their negotiating aims.

In London, civil servants who had been working on no-deal preparations are being redeployed into trying to cope with the escalating crisis.

The UK has threatened to walk away – and prepare fully for a no deal – without marked progress by June, but there is no guarantee any talks can take place before then.

The two sides are miles apart on the UK’s insistence on the right to break EU rules on state aid, fishing, financial services and workers’ and environmental rights.

The UK has the option of extending the transition by up to two years to protect the economy – but Mr Johnson passed a law to underline his determination not to do that.

Earlier, Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, was accused of “reckless insanity” after claiming coronavirus had strengthened the case for completing Brexit at the end of the year.

The crisis had made “the case for intensive diplomacy to get this deal done and move on and take the relationship to the next level, he told MPs.