The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Surprise talks fail to secure breakthrough
Key issues such as the Irish border remain unresolved
Talks between Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier have failed to resolve key issues including the Irish border question.
The unscheduled talks in Brussels came amid speculation officials working on the negotiations had reached a deal.
But following the meeting Mr Barnier said that “despite intense efforts” there had been a failure to reach agreement on one of the trickiest aspects of the negotiations.
The surprise announcement of the meeting fuelled rumours a deal was set to be done ahead of a summit of EU leaders on Wednesday.
But after talks which lasted a little over an hour, it was clear that obstacles remained.
Mr Barnier said “some key issues are still open”, including the so-called backstop measure to prevent a hard border.
He said he would debrief the 27 remaining EU states and the European Parliament on the state of the negotiations.
A senior UK source suggested Brussels had sought to promote the idea a deal had been reached before the meeting so it would “look like we are the ones being intransigent”.
But with Mrs May under increasing pressure from Tory Eurosceptics and her DUP parliamentary allies, the government also has a reason to appear to be taking a tough line.
Former Brexit secretary David Davis has urged a Cabinet revolt against the prime minister’s approach to the talks.
And Tory MP Nadine Dorries suggested Mr Davis should be installed as interim leader, claiming that was the only way to secure the kind of free-trade deal Brexit demanded by Eurosceptics.
Allies of Mr Davis said he has been contacted by several Tory MPs urging him to run for the leadership.
The issue of the Northern Irish backstop – a mechanism to avoid a hard border – is at the heart of the troubles facing Mrs May as she attempts to secure a deal.
The European Union’s version of the backstop, which would see just Northern Ireland remain aligned with Brussels’ rules, has been called unacceptable by Mrs May and is loathed by the DUP.
Mrs May’s counter-proposal is for a “temporary customs arrangement” for the whole UK, but Tory Brexiteers fear this becoming an open-ended position which would prevent free trade deals with countries around the world.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who was hosting eight EU counterparts at his Chevening country retreat, said “there is no one who is going to be able to negotiate the right deal for Britain better than Theresa May”, adding “she is battling for Britain”.