Brussels trip by PM fails to unblock stalemate as both sides harden stance

Intensive lobbying of EU leaders by Theresa May not enough to win agreement to open talks on transition period

Theresa May’s last-ditch attempt to persuade European leaders to open talks on a transition period look doomed to fail last night as Downing Street appeared to rule out fresh concessions on the UK’s divorce bill and Brussels hardened its approach days away from a crunch summit.

Calls to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, along with a 90-minute dinner in Brussels with the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, and his chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, failed to move the dial in the prime minister’s favour, with senior diplomats insisting the UK had not done enough.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2zsUsF6