Talks timetable Divorce bill on the agenda

Monday: David Davis, Brexit Secretary, will travel to Brussels to appear alongside Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, to formally kick off the second round of exit talks. Monday to

Wednesday: UK and EU officials will engage in a series of “working groups”, each of which will focus on a specific issue related to Brexit. One will look at resolving the issue of what happens to EU citizens living in Britain after the date of departure, another will examine the thorny issue of the so-called “Brexit bill” and another will centre on the Northern Irish border. Negotiations are expected to be most difficult on the issue of the UK’S divorce payment. Officials will seek to find common ground and identify areas of difficulty. Thursday: Mr Davis will return to Brussels to take part in more talks to find solutions to contentious issues.

Then: A round of talks will take place every month until October when both sides hope to have finalised the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU. Negotiations will then shift to focus on the UK’S future trading arrangements with the bloc. It is hoped a deal can be reached by summer 2018 so that there is time for the deal to be ratified by both sides by March 2019 – the date of Brexit.