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| Tusk tells UK: no trade talks without progress on money and Ireland | Tusk tells UK: no trade talks without progress on money and Ireland |
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| The president of the European council has told the UK government that more progress must be made on the Irish border and financial settlement or Brexit talks will not move on to phase two in December. | The president of the European council has told the UK government that more progress must be made on the Irish border and financial settlement or Brexit talks will not move on to phase two in December. |
| Donald Tusk also hit back at suggestions by the Brexit secretary, David Davis, that the UK needed to see more compromise from Brussels. “I appreciate Mr Davis’s English sense of humour,” he said. | |
| His comments came as the Irish taosiach, Leo Varadkar, emerged from a bilateral meeting with Theresa May at the European social summit and said: “I can’t say in any honesty that it’s close – on the Irish issue or on the financial settlement.” | His comments came as the Irish taosiach, Leo Varadkar, emerged from a bilateral meeting with Theresa May at the European social summit and said: “I can’t say in any honesty that it’s close – on the Irish issue or on the financial settlement.” |
| He compared Britain’s desire for a future relationship with the EU to an “open relationship”. | He compared Britain’s desire for a future relationship with the EU to an “open relationship”. |
| Leaving the summit in Gothenburg, Sweden, May told reporters she agreed that more needed to be done to advance the negotiations. | Leaving the summit in Gothenburg, Sweden, May told reporters she agreed that more needed to be done to advance the negotiations. |
| “But we are clear and I am clear that what we need to do is move forwards together and that’s how we can ensure that we are going to get the best deal for the UK and for the EU,” the prime minister said. | “But we are clear and I am clear that what we need to do is move forwards together and that’s how we can ensure that we are going to get the best deal for the UK and for the EU,” the prime minister said. |
| Tusk said “much more progress” was needed from the UK on the two key issues. “While good progress on citizens’ rights is being made, we need to see much more progress on Ireland and on the financial settlement,” he told a press conference in Gothenburg. | Tusk said “much more progress” was needed from the UK on the two key issues. “While good progress on citizens’ rights is being made, we need to see much more progress on Ireland and on the financial settlement,” he told a press conference in Gothenburg. |
| He said he had told May in an earlier bilateral meeting that “this progress needs to happen at the beginning of December at the latest”, and that he hoped some movement will have been made by the time the two leaders meet again next Friday. | He said he had told May in an earlier bilateral meeting that “this progress needs to happen at the beginning of December at the latest”, and that he hoped some movement will have been made by the time the two leaders meet again next Friday. |
| The president said the EU was ready to move on to the second phase of the Brexit talks, which will discuss the future trade relationship and transition period. These are due to begin, with the approval of the council, at its next summit in Brussels on December 14-15. | The president said the EU was ready to move on to the second phase of the Brexit talks, which will discuss the future trade relationship and transition period. These are due to begin, with the approval of the council, at its next summit in Brussels on December 14-15. |
| Tusk’s deadline of the beginning of December will give May some crucial extra time to build consensus in Europe and around her own cabinet table, particularly over the financial settlement. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, had initially said Brussels needed to see progress by next Friday. | Tusk’s deadline of the beginning of December will give May some crucial extra time to build consensus in Europe and around her own cabinet table, particularly over the financial settlement. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, had initially said Brussels needed to see progress by next Friday. |
| Downing Street said May’s meeting next Friday with Tusk was pre-arranged and would take place in Brussels at the Eastern Partnership summit. | Downing Street said May’s meeting next Friday with Tusk was pre-arranged and would take place in Brussels at the Eastern Partnership summit. |
| Tusk’s remarks ended a tense day for May at the European social summit. Varadkar warned May he would block the progress of the Brexit negotiations in December unless the UK gave a formal written guarantee that there would be no hard border with Northern Ireland. | Tusk’s remarks ended a tense day for May at the European social summit. Varadkar warned May he would block the progress of the Brexit negotiations in December unless the UK gave a formal written guarantee that there would be no hard border with Northern Ireland. |
| “We’ve been given assurances that there will be no hard border in Ireland, that there won’t be any physical infrastructure, that we won’t go back to the borders of the past,” Varadkar said before his meeting with May. “We want that written down in practical terms in the conclusions of phase one.” | “We’ve been given assurances that there will be no hard border in Ireland, that there won’t be any physical infrastructure, that we won’t go back to the borders of the past,” Varadkar said before his meeting with May. “We want that written down in practical terms in the conclusions of phase one.” |
| Leaving the summit several hours later, Varadkar said he was not satisfied with the progress. “After 40 years of marriage, most of them good, now Britain wants a divorce, but an open relationship the day after,” he said. | Leaving the summit several hours later, Varadkar said he was not satisfied with the progress. “After 40 years of marriage, most of them good, now Britain wants a divorce, but an open relationship the day after,” he said. |
| “We have heard now for 18 months … that the UK does not want a hard border in Ireland. But after 18 months of the right language we need to understand how that can be achieved in law.” | “We have heard now for 18 months … that the UK does not want a hard border in Ireland. But after 18 months of the right language we need to understand how that can be achieved in law.” |
| Varadkar said that “even though this is not a problem of our creation”, the Irish government had proposed its own solution, which would require the UK to commit to retaining the same EU rules and regulations across Ireland, effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the single market and customs union. | Varadkar said that “even though this is not a problem of our creation”, the Irish government had proposed its own solution, which would require the UK to commit to retaining the same EU rules and regulations across Ireland, effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the single market and customs union. |
| “We don’t have a counter-proposal from the UK government yet which makes any sense, but we would certainly welcome one,” he said. | “We don’t have a counter-proposal from the UK government yet which makes any sense, but we would certainly welcome one,” he said. |
| Earlier at the summit, Varadkar was scathing about UK politicians who had backed Brexit: “It’s 18 months since the referendum. It’s 10 years since people who wanted a referendum started agitating for one. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like they have thought all this through.” | Earlier at the summit, Varadkar was scathing about UK politicians who had backed Brexit: “It’s 18 months since the referendum. It’s 10 years since people who wanted a referendum started agitating for one. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like they have thought all this through.” |
| A UK government source said it had been “clear from the outset there will be no hard border”, but admitted a lot more progress needed to be made before the two countries would see eye to eye. Sources referred to several official documents already released by the UK government that made commitments on the Irish border. | A UK government source said it had been “clear from the outset there will be no hard border”, but admitted a lot more progress needed to be made before the two countries would see eye to eye. Sources referred to several official documents already released by the UK government that made commitments on the Irish border. |
| EU leaders must agree that “sufficient progress” has been made on three key areas before talks can move on to a future trade deal. They are the UK’s financial settlement with the EU, the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in Europe, and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. | EU leaders must agree that “sufficient progress” has been made on three key areas before talks can move on to a future trade deal. They are the UK’s financial settlement with the EU, the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in Europe, and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. |
| If it is not agreed at the 14-15 December summit that sufficient progress has been made, it may mean no progress is guaranteed until the next scheduled European council meeting in March. | If it is not agreed at the 14-15 December summit that sufficient progress has been made, it may mean no progress is guaranteed until the next scheduled European council meeting in March. |