The UK government is working "flat out" to resolve a post-Brexit standoff blocking British performers from touring European Union countries, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday. Following Britain's definitive departure from the EU at the end of 2020, the government has faced mounting criticism over its failure to secure visa-free travel for artists and crew in a December free trade deal. A range of British stars from across the performing arts along with leaders of industry bodies have hit out at the impasse, warning it will further harm a sector already devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. "I totally share the frustration of the sector," Johnson told a parliamentary committee, while noting the pandemic had paused creative tours anyway. "But we're working flat out bilaterally with each individual (EU) government," he said. "Some of them are much, much better and forward leaning than others. Others we've still got progress to make." The prime minister highlighted the long history of culture exchange between Britain and the continent, saying English actors were performing "Hamlet" in Germany soon after William Shakespeare's death in 1616. "This is something that has been going on for hundreds and hundreds of years. We must get it properly ironed out," he said. Against a backdrop of post-Brexit recriminations on various fronts, Brussels has argued that Britain was fixated on ending freedom of movement for EU citizens coming to Britain during talks on the trade deal. Britain says the EU was inflexible. csp/jit/lc