The British pound is jumping as the EU makes more progress on the deal

Sterling European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen broke the long-awaited 35 1.35 barrier on Wednesday morning following claims of improvement in the post-Brexit trade agreement between the UK and the EU.

Addressing the European Parliament, Van der Leyen, while unable to say whether there would be an agreement, said “there is a path to an agreement now” and that the next few days will be crucial.

“In most of the issues we have found a way forward, but two issues remain: level playground and fisheries,” said Van der Leyen.

“I am pleased to report that most of the issues related to management are now resolved. The next few days will be decisive.”

However, a UK official told Reuters that the two sides were “too far apart in key areas” and that despite some progress, the deal was “not yet in place”. The CNBC report could not be verified independently.

Sterling rose 0.4% Dollar Following the comments, for the first time since May 2018 the 35 1.35 barrier has been breached. The euro also rose 0.45% against the greenback from April 22 to $ 1.22.