Brexit 'divorce bill': EU diplomats pile pressure on Britain to give ground

Brussels figures were 'rattled' by questions over Theresa May's leadership
Jeremy Selwyn
Sarah Collins6 October 2017
WEST END FINAL

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EU diplomats today put more pressure on Britain to give ground in the stand-off over a Brexit “divorce bill”.

They hit out at the UK’s reluctance to show its hand on money ahead of a fifth round of talks in Brussels on Monday.

The stand-off means the bloc will not shift talks onto a post-Brexit transition period, let alone a future trade deal, this month. “It’s important they come out and put more on the table in terms of substance, and don’t do any more with rhetoric,” said a diplomat briefed on the negotiations.

“They understand and we understand that, barring a tectonic shift, there will not be sufficient progress in October,” the diplomat added.

Minor progress has been made on citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland but the bulk of the divorce deal — particularly the Brexit bill — is yet to be done. Even on citizens’ rights, major differences remain over the role of EU courts post-Brexit and the status of migrants’ unborn children.

It is also unclear whether the Irish government will allow negotiators to move forward if a solution is not found for the peace process and the border with Northern Ireland.

EU leaders will meet on October 20 — without Theresa May — to decide whether enough has been done in the talks, which began in June. They are likely to say that some progress has been made and that divorce talks should continue, several sources said.

A disrupted Conservative Party conference and a leadership plot against the Prime Minister have not helped to reassure EU negotiators.

“People here have been truly rattled,” said one Brussels source, adding that the Cabinet and Tory Party are “falling apart”. Earlier this week MEPs complained about Government instability and called on Mrs May to sack Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

In a resolution adopted by a huge majority on Tuesday, MEPs told EU leaders to delay negotiations on trade unless there is a “major breakthrough” in the divorce talks before their summit starts on October 19.

They also want Britain to scrap a plan to make EU nationals register with the Home Office post-Brexit, and have floated the idea that Northern Ireland could stay in the bloc’s single market and customs union.

Although MEPs do not have a say at this stage in the process, they can veto a final deal. Their thinking is also largely in line with EU lead negotiator Michel Barnier. EU leaders have thrown their weight behind him, resisting UK attempts to hold parallel Brexit talks with European capitals.

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