Davis off to Brussels for Brexit talks

BREXIT Secretary David Davis will call for a “deal like no other in history” as he heads to Brussels to launch negotiations for Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Talks with the European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier will focus on the status of expats, the UK’s “divorce bill” and the Northern Ireland border.

The UK will continue to push for an agreement on trade relations to be dealt with alongside a deal on the withdrawal process.

It comes as Philip Hammond warned failing to secure a Brexit deal would be “very, very bad” for the country and insisted there must be transitional arrangements to avoid a “cliff edge”.

Mr Davis will be accompanied by a nine-strong negotiating team that includes the most senior civil servants at the department as well as officials from the Treasury and Home Office.