British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he was "full of optimism" about the timetable on the trade deal with the European Union. 

"I do not think the EU will offer us worse terms than other trading partners," Johnson added. "We are not going to engage in dumping, we will set high standards."

The British pound largely ignored these comments. The GBP/USD pair, which gained traction on the upbeat CBI data earlier today, was last seen consolidating its gaily gains near 1.3130, adding 0.65% on a daily basis.