Brexit talks begin amid London confusion
Britain and the European Union started formal talks on the UK’s departure from the EU on Monday, with the British government still wracked by internal disagreement over what kind of deal to seek.
David Davies, the UK secretary of state for exiting the European Union, began the process with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his aides.
The system worked out by both sides calls for a monthly cycle — two weeks of officials laying out that month’s negotiating points, followed by a week’s bargaining between Davies and Barnier. The fourth week will allow both sides to brief their respective governments — 27 in the case of the EU— before moving on to the next item.
The UK government’s ruling Conservative Party is divided over the issue, with long-standing opponents of EU membership demanding a so-called “hard Brexit” and others, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, urging a “soft Brexit,” which could include remaining in the single customs union, accepting free movement of EU citizens and continuing to recognize the European Court of Justice.
Prime Minister Theresa May, who previously had a 17- seat parliamentary majority, held a general election earlier this month which left her short of the overall number of seats needed to govern without the support of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party.
A reminder of the problems faced by May and her colleagues came early on Monday, when a van was driven deliberately at worshippers leaving a north London mosque. Ten people were injured and one person died, but it was not clear if his death was caused by the van. The driver, a white male, was arrested and charged with attempted murder. Eyewitnesses said he shouted “I want to kill Muslims” as he was detained.
Police also announced on Monday that 79 people were dead or missing and presumed dead following a tower block fire in London on Wednesday.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, whose abrupt decision to back the Leave campaign last year is believed to have swung the vote in favor of departure, said on Sunday he favored a softer approach to Brexit.
“We are going to deliver not a soft Brexit or a hard Brexit, but an open Brexit, one that ensures that the UK is still turned outward and more engaged than ever before.”