Reprieve for Britain as EU prepares for phase two of divorce talks
BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May won a small reprieve in stalled Brexit talks yesterday.
At a summit in Brussels, EU chiefs signalled they are ready to move the negotiations forward in the coming months.
But despite a more positive tone, Ms May now faces a political balancing act as she tries to meet EU demands for more concrete pledges on Britain’s divorce bill – without stoking a backlash from Brexit campaigners at home.
EU leaders said they would begin preparations to move into ‘phase two’ of the negotiations in December.
This would allow London to discuss its future trade relationship with the bloc.
They also made clear Mrs May would have to move between now and the end of the year on settling a bill the EU has estimated at around €60billion.
‘I think it is very clear what additional steps need to be taken,’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the summit. She added that movement on the financial settlement was crucial. French president Emmanuel Macron said the two sides hadn’t completed even half of the work on the settlement and accused Britain of ‘bluffing’ by using the media to suggest there could be no deal.
Mrs May has said she cannot give a specific pledge until she knows the shape of the future relationship.