Brexit talks tough for UK from day one

BELGIUM: Britain and the European Union began talks yesterday to sever their 43-year partnership, kicking off unprecedented divorce negotiations that will shape future relations between them.

Discussions began with an immediate concession from the British over how the talks will be structured, a display of the weakness of the British position in the face of an unusual degree of unity among the EU’s 27 remaining members.

British politics were thrown into turmoil after voters narrowly decided a year ago to leave the EU, long a source of love-hate angst in British politics. The move toppled one leader and may be close to toppling Theresa May after a crippling election earlier this month in which her Conservatives lost their majority.

Despite sharp splits in London over what to seek in the divorce, the lead British negotiator vowed that his nation would plunge onward with a full declaration of independence, dampening expectations after the election that Britain would now move to preserve some ties with Brussels.

‘‘Today marks the start of a journey for the United Kingdom and for the European Union,’’ the British minister charged with negotiating the deal, David Davis, said after a day of meetings with his EU negotiating counterpart, Michel Barnier. ‘‘There’s no doubt that the road ahead will at times be challenging.’’

The Brexit victory shocked even backers of the measure and unleashed a wave of nationalism and populism that was seen as helping sweep Donald Trump into the White House.

But British society has remained deeply divided about the

"The United Kingdom has asked to leave the European Union, it's not the other way around. The consequences are substantial." Michel Barnier, EU negotiator

meaning of the Brexit vote and the extent to which leaders should pull out of wide-ranging relationships that have delivered prosperity and frustration to generations of British citizens.

Speaking alongside Davis, Barnier offered a grave outlook about what lies ahead.

‘‘The United Kingdom has asked to leave the European Union, it’s not the other way around,’’ said Barnier, speaking in French, a decision that itself is a measure of Britain’s waning influence in Europe.

‘‘The consequences are substantial,’’ he said. But he added that the EU approach to Britain will not be ‘‘about punishment, it’s not about revenge.’’

European leaders have repeatedly said that Britain need not go through with its plans for divorce – although they have been tough about what a split would mean.

Barnier, a veteran French politician, has been vested by the EU to enforce their no-compromise red lines that any deal for Britain must not be more favourable than the one it has as a full member.

His first victory came yesterday, when he forced Britain to accept the EU timetable for the talks: first a negotiation over the split, and only then a discussion about the relationship between the two sides. Britain had sought for the talks to proceed in parallel, which would have given it more bargaining power.

The issues daunting.

Unresolved is everything from the status of EU citizens living in Britain, to intelligence sharing, to the future of tens of thousands of British jobs that could be wiped out if businesses move to Europe to avoid new trade barriers created by the divorce.

So far, European leaders have remained united that Britain cannot have full access to European markets unless it also allows full access to its own.

European demands for British restitution have also increased, from NZ$92 billion a few months ago to $154b now, a measure of the degree of EU toughening against May. – Washington Post at stake are