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EC president Donald Tusk asks Theresa May to start Brexit process 'as soon as possible' EC president Donald Tusk asks Theresa May to start Brexit process 'as soon as possible'
(35 minutes later)
The European Commission president Donald Tusk has asked Theresa May to start the Brexit process "as soon as possible", adding "the ball is in your court". One of the EU's top officals has put Theresa May under fresh pressure not to delay Brexit, telling her to start the process “as soon as possible”.
More follows Speaking as he arrived at No.10 for talks with the Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, repeated his demand that the UK move to end the uncertainty for the rest of the EU.
He told Mrs May: “This is the position shared by all 27 member states. To put it simply, the ball is now in your court.
“I'm aware that it is not easy but I still hope you will be ready to start the process as soon as possible.”
Mr Tusk also tweeted: “Our goal to establish closest possible EU-UK relations. Ball in UK court to start negotiations. In everybody's best interest to start asap”.
The demand is for Mrs May to speed ahead with triggering Article 50, the formal process that starts the two-year withdrawal process.
It appeared to pave the way for a difficult meeting, because the Prime Minister has repeatedly insisted she will not take that step until sometime next year.
In recent weeks, some EU leaders, including Angela Merkel, had rowed back on their early insistence that Brexit start quickly, appearing to recognise that the UK’s new Government needed time to work out what it wanted.
Mr Tusk said the details of Brexit would not be discussed at next week’s European Council, in Slovakia, because Article 50 has not yet been invoked.
But he said the leaders of the other 27 EU nations would “discuss the political consequences of Brexit” for Europe, at a meeting Mrs May will attend.
Mr Tusk added: “I have no doubt that at the end of the day our common strategic goal is to establish the closest possible relations.”
The meeting is Mrs May's first with a top EU official since becoming Prime Minister in July.