The UK left the EU on January 31 but the main terms of its membership remain in place during a transition period until the end of this year, allowing it time to negotiate a new free trade deal with the bloc.

Asked whether it was possible to reach a trade agreement in the short time remaining, British cabinet minister Michael Gove said it was "perfectly possible".

"The principal difficulty is not a difficulty of technical detail - the technical detail on both sides is well understood - it's a difference of political position, and I hope that we can break that impasse," Gove told the British parliament's committee on the future relationship with the EU on Wednesday.

UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said the current EU mandate was - in key areas - "not a mandate that is likely to produce an agreement".

"So if you are asking, do we think the EU needs to evolve its position to reach an agreement, yes we do," Frost said.

Questioned about the impact of COVID-19 on negotiations, Frost said the outbreak had briefly paused talks and while they had since picked up, the negotiations were behind by a week or two.

"The main difficulty we've had is ... just the difficulty of mimicking by video what happens in a real meeting," Frost said, reflecting on the value of direct contact with the other side.

Frost said it was also proving difficult to reach a deal with the EU on fishing rules by July, as the sides aspired to do in a joint political declaration.

"I'm beginning to think we might not make it by June 30, though we'll keep trying," he said.

Australian Associated Press