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Brexit negotiations: David Davis 'positive' as first meeting begins Brexit negotiations: David Davis says 'promising start' made
(about 3 hours later)
Brexit Secretary David Davis has said he is entering negotiations on the UK's exit from the EU in a "positive and constructive" frame of mind. Negotiations between the UK and the EU have got off to a "promising start", Brexit Secretary David Davis says.
As he began talks in Brussels, he said he was determined to build a "strong and special partnership" with the EU. Mr Davis gave a joint press conference alongside EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier - who warned of "consequences" of the Brexit vote - in Brussels.
Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said he wanted to agree key priorities and a timetable for discussions. The initial focus will be on expat rights, a financial settlement and "other separation issues".
Subjects for the negotiations include the status of expats, the UK's "divorce bill" and the Northern Ireland border. Discussions aimed at preserving the Good Friday Agreement and common travel area in Ireland will also begin.
The UK is set to leave the EU by the end of March 2019 following last year's referendum vote. The two men - who exchanged gifts at the start of the talks - set out the structure for the initial negotiations. There will be one week of negotiations every month.
Day one of the negotiations, at the European Commission buildings in Brussels, will be followed by a joint press conference this evening by Mr Davis and his counterpart, a former French foreign minister and EU commissioner. Working groups of "senior experts" will be set up to focus on the three main areas.
The BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler said the opening session would focus on basic issues of procedure such as how often the two men and their teams will meet and in what order items will be discussed. On citizens' rights, which the UK has said should be an immediate priority, Mr Davis said there was "much common ground".
Above all, she added, it would be a "trust-building exercise" after all the "mud-throwing" of recent months. The UK is set to leave the EU by the end of March 2019, following last year's referendum vote.
Mr Barnier said a "fair deal" was possible "and far better than no deal". He promised to work with, not against, the UK.
"We must lift the uncertainty caused by Brexit," he said.
The UK had wanted talks on its future relationship with the EU - including a trade deal - to be considered from the outset, but Mr Barnier said this would only happen once the European Council decided "sufficient progress has been made".
Mr Davis said what is important is "not how the talks start, but how they end".
Asked whether he had made any concessions to the UK in return, Mr Barnier said the UK had decided to leave the EU - not the other way around.
There will be "human, legal, technical and political" consequences which should not be underestimated, he said.
Mr Davis said the issues around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland may not be settled until the end of the process, when the UK's trade relationship with the EU will be settled.
Who's who in the UK delegation?Who's who in the UK delegation?
Arriving in Brussels, Mr Davis said there would be "challenges" ahead but he believed the two sides could reach an agreement on the terms of the UK's exit which "works in the best interests of all citizens".
"We are starting this negotiation in a positive and constructive tone, determined to build a strong and special partnership between ourselves and our European allies and friends for the future."
Reflecting on the Finsbury Park attack in north London, he added: "In testing times like these, we are reminded of the values and resolve we share with our closest allies in Europe. There is more that unites us than divides us."
Mr Barnier said a "constructive" opening to negotiations was vital in setting the tone for what he hoped would be an "orderly" process.Mr Barnier said a "constructive" opening to negotiations was vital in setting the tone for what he hoped would be an "orderly" process.
"We must first tackle the uncertainties caused by Brexit - first, for citizens but also for the beneficiaries of EU policies and for the impact on borders, in particular Ireland," he said."We must first tackle the uncertainties caused by Brexit - first, for citizens but also for the beneficiaries of EU policies and for the impact on borders, in particular Ireland," he said.
Prior to the start of talks, the two men exchanged gifts reflecting their shared love of hill walking and mountaineering. Prior to the start of talks, Mr Davis gave his counterpart a first edition of a mountaineering book - a French-language version of Regards vers Annapurna - while Mr Barnier reciprocated with a traditional, hand-carved walking stick from Savoie, complete with leather wrist strap.
Mr Davis gave his counterpart a first edition of a mountaineering book - a French language version of Regards vers Annapurna - while Mr Barnier reciprocated with a traditional, hand carved walking stick from Savoie, complete with leather wrist strap.
The BBC has been told by European Union sources that the talks will follow the EU's preferred pattern of exit negotiations first, with the future relations between the two sides - including the free trade deal the UK is seeking - at a later date.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World at One, newly-appointed Brexit Minister Steve Baker - who was a leading figure in the campaign to leave the EU - denied this was a sign of weakness on the UK's side.
"What we need to do is make sufficient progress quickly so that we can get on to talk about that free trade deal which all sides have agreed we should have," he said.
After holding talks with Theresa May in Downing Street, new Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said there must be no return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and economic borders must be "invisible".After holding talks with Theresa May in Downing Street, new Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said there must be no return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and economic borders must be "invisible".
While he said he regretted Mrs May's decision to leave the single market and customs union, he said the two had a shared objective to minimise disruption to trade after the UK's exit.While he said he regretted Mrs May's decision to leave the single market and customs union, he said the two had a shared objective to minimise disruption to trade after the UK's exit.
Five major UK business bodies have come together to call for continued access to the European single market until a final Brexit deal is made with the EU. Former Marks and Spencer chairman Lord Rose, who chaired the Stronger In campaign last year, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he was reassured that economic considerations were "top of the pile" but ministers needed to be realistic with the public.
In a letter to Business Secretary Greg Clark they urged the government to "put the economy first". The letter is from the British Chambers of Commerce, Confederation of British Industry, EEF, Federation of Small Businesses and Institute of Directors. Speaking on the same programme, JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin - one of the leading pro-Leave business voices - said negotiators had to be open to possible compromises but also prepared to walk away and to default to World Trade Organization rules if necessary.
Former Marks and Spencer chairman Lord Rose, who chaired the Stronger In campaign last year, told BC Radio 4's Today he was reassured that economic considerations were "top of the pile" but ministers needed to be realistic with the public. "I don't think many people feel that staying in the single market and customs union and being subject to EU laws is Brexit. I think Brexit is parliamentary sovereignty and an assertion of democracy. Outside that, I think there is a quite a lot of scope," he said.
"Let's communicate with people who voted Out and people who voted Remain what the art of the possible... we all know we can't have our cake and eat it... negotiations mean you are not always going to get what you want."
Speaking on the same programme, JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin - one of the leading pro-Leave business voices - said negotiators had to be open to possible compromises but also prepared to walk away and to default to World Trade Organisation rules if necessary.
"I don't think many people feel that staying in the single market and customs union and being subject to EU laws is Brexit. I think Brexit is parliamentary sovereignty and an assertion of democracy. Outside that, I think there is a quite a lot of scope."
For Labour, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said there was "real confusion" about the government's mandate after the general election result.For Labour, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said there was "real confusion" about the government's mandate after the general election result.
Pressed on whether he supported remaining in the customs union, which other senior Labour figures have appeared to rule out - he told Sky News the focus should be on "outcomes not models" and what he wanted to see was "no increase in customs burdens" following Brexit.