Talks between EU and UK may have broken Brexit impasse

Shuttle diplomacy by British prime minister Theresa May appeared to have have unpicked some of the problems in Brexit negotiations with the European Union yesterday.

Officials claimed that a deal to guarantee the rights of EU residents had been settled, while after Mrs May’s meeting in Brussels with the president of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, a joint statement said that talks would intensify in the months ahead.

While there will not be a formal launch of trade talks at this week’s European summit, there are hopes that wider negotiations will be approved before the end of the year.

Meetings are continuing over two other core issues to be addressed before trade talks begin – the size of Britain’s exit bill to the bloc, and arrangements to ensure the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic remains open.

“The prime minister and the president reviewed the progress made in the article 50 negotiations so far and agreed that these efforts should accelerate over the months to come,” a statement read.

The prime minister discussed the UK’s exit negotiations with German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Emmanuel Macron and Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar.

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels tomorrow and Friday, where the signal they send on discussions over post-Brexit trade ties will depend on “sufficient progress” in the divorce talks.