This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42368096

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Brexit: EU leaders agree to move talks onto next stage Brexit: EU leaders agree to move talks to next stage
(35 minutes later)
EU leaders have agreed to move Brexit talks on to the second phase, says European Council President Donald Tusk. EU leaders have agreed to move Brexit talks on to the second phase but called for "further clarity" from the UK about its future intentions.
This means talks can move on to the long-term relationship between the UK and EU, including trade and security. Talks will now move on to the long-term relationship between the UK and EU.
The first issue to be discussed, as early as next week, will be the terms of a transition period after the UK leaves in March 2019. The first issue to be discussed, at talks next month, will be the terms of an expected two-year transition phase after the UK's March 2019 exit.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned this process will be "significantly harder". Theresa May welcomed the move as an "important step on the road" to ensuring a "smooth and orderly" exit.
Mr Tusk tweeted the news after a meeting of the other 27 EU leaders in Brussels. But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned the negotiations will be "significantly harder" from now on.
Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, tweeted the news that the 27 EU leaders were happy to move onto phase two after they met in Brussels.
Free movement
He congratulated UK Prime Minister Theresa May on reaching what the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said was a major moment in the Brexit process.He congratulated UK Prime Minister Theresa May on reaching what the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said was a major moment in the Brexit process.
Mrs May has said she wants both sides to approach the next phase of negotiations, which will determine the long-term shape of the UK relations with the EU, with "creativity and ambition".Mrs May has said she wants both sides to approach the next phase of negotiations, which will determine the long-term shape of the UK relations with the EU, with "creativity and ambition".
The EU has published its guidelines for phase two of the negotiations, with discussions on future economic co-operation not likely to begin until March.The EU has published its guidelines for phase two of the negotiations, with discussions on future economic co-operation not likely to begin until March.
The UK reached agreement with the European Commission last week that "sufficient progress" had been made on so-called divorce issues, such as citizens' rights and financial liabilities, to move onto the next phase. But EU members can begin internal discussions about their future relationship with the UK now, which Downing Street is understood to be pleased about.
The three page document says the UK will remain under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and be required to permit freedom of movement during any transition period.
And agreements on the Irish border, the so-called divorce bill and the rights of EU and UK citizens, agreed by Mrs May last Friday, must be "respected in full and translated faithfully into legal terms as quickly as possible".
'End state'
The document says: "As the UK will continue to participate in the customs union and the single market during the transition, it will have to continue to comply with EU trade policy."
On trade, it says while the EU is willing to engage in "preliminary and preparatory discussions" as part of building a "close partnership" after the UK's departure any formal agreement "can only be finalised and concluded once the UK has become a third country".
The document "calls on the UK to provide further clarity on its position on the framework for the future relationship".
And in a passage added during the past week, it invites the EU's negotiator Michel Barnier to "continue internal preparatory discussions, including on the scope of the framework for the future relationship" rather than having to wait until March.
Mr Juncker said on Friday that the EU's initial priority was to "formalise the agreement" that had been reached before moving forward.Mr Juncker said on Friday that the EU's initial priority was to "formalise the agreement" that had been reached before moving forward.
Mrs May is set to discuss her vision of the "end-state" for the UK outside the EU at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, having suffered her first Commons defeat earlier this week. He added: "The second phase will be significantly harder and the first was very difficult".
Mrs May is set to discuss her vision of the "end-state" for the UK outside the EU at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, having suffered her first Commons Brexit defeat earlier this week.
Brexit Secretary David Davis said the government was "ready for the next stage".