Key EU lawmaker warns U. K. it must act to unblock Brexit talks

LONDON — A leading member of the European Parliament met Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday, warning that Britain needs to do more to settle the terms of its divorce from the European Union or risk negotiations being delayed even further.

Manfred Weber held talks with the British leader at 10 Downing St. In a video message before the meeting he said Britain needs to resolve issues including its outstanding financial commitments, because “when somebody is leaving a club” they must pay their bills.

EU leaders are increasingly frustrated with Britain’s reluctance to signal how much it is willing to pay to settle its commitments to the 28- nation bloc. The Brexit bill— estimated by the EU at somewhere around $ 70 billion — is a key sticking point preventing the EU from allowing talks to move on to trade and future relations.

The 27 other EU leaders are due to decide next month whether there has been sufficient progress for talks to enter a new phase.

Weber, who heads the centreright EPP group in the European Parliament, said Tuesday that at the moment “it doesn’t look as if we are going to be entering into the second phase” next month. But after meeting May, he tweeted that he felt progress was possible and “there is a willingness for compromise.”

Weber said outside Downing St. that Britain did not need to name an exact figure for its Brexit bill, but must “clarify the commitments” it is willing to meet.

Meanwhile, May’s government battled in the House of Commons to pass its key piece of Brexit legislation amid opposition from proEU lawmakers.