BROKEN BREXIT

PM’S ‘lost authority’ means opposition could scupper her hard stance But EU boss warns UK it has ‘no time to lose’ in starting negotiations

THERESA May’s plans for a hard Brexit were thrown into disarray yesterday, as Europe piled on the pressure for her to get on with negotiations.

The first round of EU talks are set to start in nine days but there is now a major question mark over exactly which demands Britain will be putting on the table. Mrs May yesterday tried to give the impression of business as usual. But she faces ransom threats from the rival Remain and Leave factions within her own party. Political opponents in the UK say she now has no mandate for a hard Brexit that risks jobs. And Europeans warn France and Germany won’t start negotiating seriously until there is stability in the UK and a “big beast” in charge. EU Council President Donald Tusk yesterday reminded the PM that the clock is ticking. “We don’t know when Brexit talks start. We know when they must end. Do your best to avoid a ‘no deal’ as result of ‘no negotiations’,” he posted on Twitter. Sweden’s former foreign minister Carl Bildt – now the co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations – described the poor result for the Tories as the “price to be paid for the lack of true leadership”. And he warned: “Things could be messy for the United Kingdom in the years ahead. One mess risks following another.” But Dutch MEP Sophia in ‘t Veld best summed up how many Europeans now see the Conservatives. She tweeted: “Cameron gambled, lost. May gambled, lost. Tory party beginning to look like a casino.” Former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted the result “limits the PM’S room for manoeuvre” in the Brexit talks. While Guy Verhofstadt, a Brexit negotiator in the European Parliament, called it “yet another own goal” that “will make already complex negotiations even more complicated”. At home, Mrs May’s opponents are saying that she must be more inclusive on Brexit decisions if she wants to make any meaning ful progress. Labour’s Yvette Cooper said negotiations cannot be done “by a small Tory cabal”. The Labour MP said a cross-party commission is now required for the “best chance of a sustainable deal.” With no overall majority, Mrs May could struggle to get her Brexit demands, which include withdrawing from the single market and leaving the customs union, through Parliament. Tory Remain MPS such as Ken Clarke could side with Labour, the SNP and Lib Dems on crunch votes. This could include tabling amendments, insisting on key demands such as guaranteeing the rights of EU workers and ensuring workers’ rights. In a sign of the battles to come, the triumphant leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, yesterday called for an “open Brexit” that put the British economy first. But Mrs May could also be held

Another own goal that’ll make negotiations even more complex GUY VERHOFSTADT EU BREXIT NEGOTIATOR

CLOCK IS TICKING EU Council President Donald Tusk is piling pressure on Mrs May