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| Brexit: EU chief negotiator says no talks on transition period until divorce bill is settled | Brexit: EU chief negotiator says no talks on transition period until divorce bill is settled |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Hopes that Theresa May’s Florence speech would break the deadlock in EU talks were dashed in Brussels on Monday after the EU’s chief negotiator said there could be no discussion of a transitional period until other issues were dealt with first. | Hopes that Theresa May’s Florence speech would break the deadlock in EU talks were dashed in Brussels on Monday after the EU’s chief negotiator said there could be no discussion of a transitional period until other issues were dealt with first. |
| The UK and EU negotiating teams are now more at loggerheads than ever, with Michel Barnier explicitly ruling out transition deal talks until the divorce bill, citizens' rights, and Northern Ireland are dealt with. | The UK and EU negotiating teams are now more at loggerheads than ever, with Michel Barnier explicitly ruling out transition deal talks until the divorce bill, citizens' rights, and Northern Ireland are dealt with. |
| On the other hand Brexit Secretary David Davis, speaking on his arrival for the latest round of negotiations, has ruled out settling Britain's divorce bill without first moving to talks about Britain's future relationship with the EU – which Britain wants to include a transition period. He said there were "no excuses for standing in the way of progress" and urged the EU to show "pragmatism" on the issue. | |
| In her speech in the Italian renaissance city on Friday the PM said she wanted a two year transition period in which Britain would stay in the single market, to provide "certainty" for business and avoid a disastrous cliff-edge. | |
| Mr Barnier welcomed the speech as "constructive" but speaking at the EU's general affairs council in Brussels, he said: "Discussing a transition period can only begin if we reach an agreement on an orderly withdrawal. That’s the mandate I have at the moment." | |
| "The discussion that is going to take place on this transition period – because the UK is asking for it – does not mean that we don’t need to achieve progress ‘sufficient progress’. Progress on these three issues [The divorce bill, citizens’ rights, and Northern Ireland] is more important than ever in order to create the trust that we need to build our future relationship," he told the Council. | |
| "We’re not going to mix up discussion on debts and past commitments, those subjects that are a part of the orderly withdrawal, with discussions on our future relationship." | |
| But speaking later at a joint press conference in Brussels with Mr Barnier, Mr Davis insisted that a deal on money could not be struck without discussions on the future relationship – the exact opposite of the order insisted upon by Mr Barnier. | |
| "On the financial settlement as part of a smooth and orderly exit, we do not want our EU partners to worry that they will nee to pay more or receive less over the remainder of the current budget plan as a result of our decision to leave," he told reporters. | |
| "The UK will honour commitments we have made during the period of our membership, but it’s obvious that reaching a conclusion on this issue can only be done in the context of and accordance with our new deep and special partnership of the European Union. | |
| "The UK is absolutely committed to work through the detail. We are laying out concrete proposals and there are no excuses for standing in the way of progress. It will take pragmatism on both sides to make headway." | |
| The talks taking place in Brussels were meant to take place last week but were postponed – officially to allow more time for non-specific "consultation", but actually because of the PM's Florence speech. |