THERESA May will call for flexibility from the European Union over its approach to the Brexit negotiations as she seeks a breakthrough on her push for trade talks.
The Prime Minister will say the UK can get a deal to prove the anti-Brexit “doomsayers” wrong as she attempts to use a Commons statement to move on from her mishap-hit party conference speech and the attempted coup against her leadership.
May will tell the EU “the ball is in their court” as talks resume between the UK’s negotiators and Michel Barnier’s team of Brussels officials.
European leaders will decide later this month whether sufficient progress has been made during the first stage of the Brexit talks, including the so-called divorce bill, to move on to talks on the future trading relationship and any potential “implementation period” for the new arrangements.
It appears unlikely that the EU will agree that enough progress has been made on the initial phase — which also includes citizens’ rights and the border between the UK and Republic of Ireland — to begin talks on the post-Brexit relationship.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, above, has said it will take miracles for enough progress to have been made in time for the meeting of leaders on October 19-20, while the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a non-binding motion declaring that more needed to be done.
May will appear before MPs to update them on her speech in Florence which, while failing to secure a breakthrough, has been welcomed by EU leaders for its constructive tone.
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