MAY’S £17BN BREXIT OLIVE BRANCH

PM’s pitch to break EU deadlock

THERESA May will today warn EU leaders they have a ‘profound responsibility’ to make Brexit work.

Making a ‘generous’ offer to secure a breakthrough in the deadlocked talks, she will propose a two-year transitional deal and pledge to pay up to 20billion euros (£17.5billion) to ensure no hole is left in the European union’s budget.

The Prime Minister, who will not put a precise figure on the size of any ‘divorce bill’, will also set out how the rights of Eu citizens living in the UK will be enshrined in the final Brexit treaty so British courts

are bound by the agreement and there can be no doubt about their future.

Mrs May will tell Europe’s leaders they have a duty to future generations to strike a good deal, saying: ‘The eyes of the world are on us.’

She will add that ‘Britain’s future is bright’ regardless of whether they agree to a trade deal, because of the UK’s ‘considerable’ economic strengths.

In a landmark speech in Florence, Mrs May will urge her EU counterparts to seize the opportunity to ‘write a new chapter in European history’ together so both sides thrive.

She will confirm Britain is to leave the EU in March 2019, but will set out plans for a ‘phased transition’ of up to two years as new arrangements are put in place.

In a sign she hopes to move talks forward, Mrs May will pledge that Britain will continue to pay into the EU’s coffers during this period so there is no hole in the bloc’s budget, which runs until 2020. A precise figure was not revealed but it is expected to be around 20billion euros.

Talks in Brussels have ground to a halt as EU officials have claimed not enough progress has been made on the issues of the divorce bill, citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland for negotiations to move forward to a second phase.

By making substantial offers on the key issues, Mrs May hopes EU leaders will agree that talks should progress at a crunch summit in a few weeks.

But the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier last night put an immediate dampener on expectations by threatening to walk away from talks if Britain does not ‘settle the accounts’.

It was also reported that UK officials have said they would consider European Court of Justice case law being ‘taken into account’ by British judges when ruling on disputes over EU citizens’ rights.

Details of Mrs May’s speech emerged yesterday as:

The Prime Minister united her Cabinet as she secured their backing for her Brexit vision in a marathon meeting;

Boris Johnson declared it was ‘gonna be a great speech’ just days after it was feared he could resign;

Mr Barnier sparked anger by suggest- ing there was effectively only a year left to strike a deal and Britain was gripped by ‘major uncertainty’ on key issues.

The Prime Minister’s speech will set out her vision for a ‘bold’ economic and security partnership with a ‘time-limited’ implementation period.

In a direct pitch to the continent’s leaders, she will emphasise the historic nature of the talks as she calls for an ‘imaginative and creative’ approach to a deal.

The Prime Minister will tell her counterparts that if a deal can be reached ‘then when this chapter of our European history is written, it will be remembered not for the differences we faced, but for the vision we showed’.

She will acknowledge Brexit is ‘inevitably a difficult process’ but it is in ‘all of our interests for our negotiations to succeed’.

The European Council has to decide next month whether sufficient progress has been made during talks so far to start negotiations on a trade deal.

Mrs May will hope that today’s offer is sufficient to end the stalemate.

Donald Trump snubbed Mrs May when she asked him what his plan for Iran was during a private meeting, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday.