Who, what and when of the next 21 months

THE talks on the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union are finally under way.

Here’s what you need to know about the Brexit negotiations: Who is sitting round the table? The UK side is led by Brexit Secretary David Davis, a self-described “charming b ***** d” and committed Leaver. On the opposite side is the European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, a former French foreign minister. They will each be accompanied by a team of senior officials. What will they be discussing? Both sides agree a top priority is sorting out the rights of the 3.2million EU nationals living in the UK and the 1.2million British expats in the EU. Both say they want a reciprocal agreement. What else? Other issues that have to be sorted include the status of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

And then there is the “divorce bill”. The EU side have been suggesting they will be looking for a settlement of about £50billion in respect of the UK’s outstanding liabilities. British ministers insist the final sum will not be anything like that. Expect lots of wrangling. Is Britain also looking for a free trade deal? It certainly is. Davis has said that while the UK is pulling out of the single market and the customs union, as well as ending the free movement of labour, he wants an agreement that replicates as far as possible Britain’s existing trade arrangements with the EU. Will he get it? Europe’s key power brokers, Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron, are adamant Britain cannot expect to enjoy all the benefits of EU membership from outside the bloc. Barnier has said talks on a trade deal cannot even start until sufficient progress has been made on the other issues. How often will the two sides be meeting? It is expected talks will take place once a month in Brussels. How long have they got to sort this out? Britain is due to leave the EU – with or without an agreement – at midnight Brussels time (11pm in the UK) on March 29, 2019. That’s unless an extension is agreed by all 27 remaining member states. In practice that is likely to mean the negotiations will need to be wrapped up by the autumn of 2018 in order to allow time for the deal to be ratified. What will ratification involve? The European Court of Justice are expected to rule on whether a deal must be approved by the parliaments of the individual member states. Theresa May has promised MPs at Westminster a vote and there will be a vote of the European Parliament.