UK and EU fail to strike deal over Brexit.

Crunch talks in Brussels end without resolution amid DUP doubts over border

Theresa May pulled out at the last minute from a deal to break the Brexit logjam after meeting fierce resistance from the Democratic Unionist Party, Ireland’s prime minister has claimed.

Crunch talks between Mrs May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker ended in Brussels without a deal after the DUP – which props up the minority Conservative Government in Westminster – made clear it would not accept any arrangement which saw Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK.

Irish Taioseach Leo Varadkar said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the break-up of talks just hours after all sides confirmed they were satisfied with a text which would guarantee “regulatory alignment” between Northern Ireland and the Republic in order to prevent the imposition of a hard border.

Downing Street made no response to Mr Varadkar’s claim.

But it is understood that, as well as the impasse over Ireland, disagreement remains over the role of the European Court of Justice in overseeing EU citizens’ rights in the UK after Brexit.

Both Mrs May and Mr Juncker said they were “confident” of reaching agreement in time for a key summit of the European Council on December 14, when it is hoped that leaders of the remaining 27 EU states will give the green light for the start of trade talks.

The Prime Minister is expected back in Brussels for further talks before the end of the week, though sources declined to confirm reports that she would meet Mr Juncker and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier tomorrow.

European Council president Donald Tusk later disclosed that he had been preparing to move negotiations on to the second phase – dealing with trade and the transition to the post-Brexit EU/ UK relationship – until the last-minute call for more time.

Mrs May arrived for her talks with Mr Juncker with expectations high for a breakthrough on “divorce” issues which might allow Brexit negotiations to move on to their second phase by Christmas.

But Irish pronouncements over an imminent deal on the border sparked a firm response from the DUP, which has previously warned it could withdraw its support for Tories in Westminster if a deal is proposed which threatens the integrity of the United Kingdom by effectively establishing a customs border in the Irish Sea.

Speaking at Stormont, DUP leader Arlene Foster said: “We have been very clear. Northern Ireland must leave the EU on the same terms as the rest of the United Kingdom. We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom.”

Her comments were swiftly followed by statements from the leaders of devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and London, making clear that any special status for Northern Ireland would prompt demands from other parts of the UK for their own tailormade Brexit. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that if one part of the UK could stay in the single market, there was “no good practical reason why others cannot do the same”.

Wales would “fully expect” to be offered the same deal as Northern Ireland to stay in the single market and customs union, said First Minister Carwyn Jones, while London’s Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan said a “similar deal” could help preserve jobs in the capital.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the failure of talks showed Mrs May’s Government was “completely illequipped to negotiate a successful Brexit deal for our country”.

But Tory MPs and peers who attended a briefing at Westminster from the PM’s chief of staff Gavin Barwell and Brexit minister Steve Baker voiced satisfaction that divisions between Northern Ireland and the mainland had been avoided.

Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker prior to their meeting yesterday at the European Commission. Expectations for a breakthrough had been high.