European leader calls Brexit demand for compromise ‘English sense of humour’
European Council president Donald Tusk has mocked a suggestion that Europe must compromise with Britain in Brexit talks as an example of the “English sense of humour.”
Tusk said it was up to British Prime Minister Theresa May to offer more money to the EU to settle the so-called “divorce bill” before trade talks can begin.
Meanwhile, the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar threatened to block the next stage of talks unless the U.K. gave a written guarantee that there would not be a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.
May headed home from an EU summit in Sweden on Friday night insisting that “good progress” had been made in talks with Tusk and other EU leaders, while accepting that more needed to be done.
Tusk, however, said the EU had completed the internal work necessary to approve the next phase of transition talks, but “much more progress” was needed from the U.K. to break the deadlock. He made it clear that trade talks — which had initially been pencilled in for October — may not now be approved at the next council meeting in December, which would be a serious setback for May.
Speaking in Gothenburg, Tusk said May had two weeks to meet EU demands over the Irish border and Britain’s final exit bill.
He took a swipe at British Brexit Secretary David Davis, who suggested Friday the EU needed to compromise further in the talks.
Asked about the remarks, Tusk responded: “I really appreciate Mr. Davis’s English sense of humour.” He added: “We will be ready to move on to the second phase already in December, but in order to do that we need to see more progress from the U.K. side. While good progress on citizens’ rights is being made, we need to see much more progress on Ireland and on the financial settlement.”
He said he had told May that “this progress needs to happen at the beginning of December at the latest.”
During the summit on jobs and growth, May and her Irish counterpart clashed over Ireland’s demands for a written guarantee over the future of the Northern Ireland border.
Speaking to Sky News, Varadkar said: “I can’t say in any honesty that it’s close — on the Irish issue or on the financial settlement. After 40 years of marriage — most of them good — now Britain wants a divorce but an open relationship the day after.”
He warned that while it was “certainly possible” that trade talks could go ahead next month, “if we have to wait until the new year, if we have to wait for further concessions, so be it.”