Brexit talks fail to break deadlock

LONDON — A flurry of diplomatic activity Sunday failed to produce a breakthrough in talks between Britain and the European Union, leaving prospects for a deal finely balanced at the start of a crucial week in talks about the country’s exit from the bloc.

“Despite intense efforts, some key issues are still open,” the European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said after tense talks that took place in Brussels three days before a planned summit between the British prime minister, Theresa May, and her European counterparts.

It was unclear whether the deadlock Sunday was a significant setback in Brexit talks or a moment of political theater in a hard-fought and highstakes negotiation.

But tensions are acute within May’s fractious Conservative Party, with several hard-line proBrexit members of her Cabinet reported to be considering resignation if they judge that she is making too many concessions in a withdrawal agreement.

Britain is due to leave the bloc in March and there has been hope that this week’s summit, which begins with a dinner Wednesday, will at least make significant progress laying down the basic “divorce terms” between Britain and the European Union.

Without a deal, Britain could face a disorderly, and economically damaging, departure from the bloc next year.

The most delicate of the outstanding issues is the backstop plan to ensure that, whatever happens in talks on future trade, there is no need to impose new checks at the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and Ireland, which will remain in the European Union. In addition to the legally binding withdrawal agreement, the two sides also aim to agree on a more vague deal outlining the shape of their long-term trade relationship.

On Sunday, David Davis, the hard-line former Brexit secretary who quit the Cabinet this year, urged ministers to “exert their collective authority,” effectively encouraging them to rebel against May’s emerging plans for British withdrawal.