Theresa May urged to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible by European Council president Donald Tusk as he comes for breakfast at Downing Street
Prime Minister has faced accusations of contradiction on the official position over remaining in the European single market
THERESA May has been urged to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible by Donald Tusk, who told her "the ball is now in your court" on Brexit.
The Prime Minister invited the European Council president for breakfast to try and hammer out a strategy for leaving the EU amid increasing pressure over a lack of detail from the Government so far.
In a sign Brussels was waiting for Mrs May to clarify when she will kickstart the formal process of quitting, Mr Tusk said it was a "crucial time" for the UK and for the EU.
The leaders of the other 27 EU nations will hold talks in Bratislava next week and he said they would "discuss the political consequences of Brexit" for Europe.
But he told Mrs May: "It doesn't mean that we are going to discuss our future relations with the UK in Bratislava, because for this - and especially for the start of the negotiations - we need the formal notification, I mean triggering Article 50.
"This is the position shared by all 27 member states. To put it simply, the ball is now in your court.
"I'm aware that it is not easy but I still hope you will be ready to start the process as soon as possible.
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";I have no doubt that at the end of the day our common strategic goal is to establish the closest possible relations."
Mrs May said she wanted a "smooth" Brexit process and told Mr Tusk they had "serious issues" to discuss.
But it comes as the Prime Minister has faced accusations of contradiction on the official position over remaining in the European single market, and the vagueness of her catchphrase “Brexit means Brexit”.
But she has insisted she will not reveal her negotiating hand "prematurely", telling Parliament yesterday she would not “provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiations”.
And the meeting comes after she slapped down Brexit Secretary David Davis for suggesting continued membership of the free trade zone was "very improbable".
Mr Davis's comment appeared to play into the hands of EU countries who have insisted that Britain cannot have full control over its borders and remain a member of the single market.
The PM had a chance to use her working breakfast with Mr Tusk at Downing Street to row back on the Brexit Secretary’s words, and say he was expressing an opinion rather than Government policy.
The talks will also touch on migration, trade and Ukraine, but observers will be keen to see if they yield any more details on how we will exit the EU, as Mrs May continues to seek a bespoke model for the UK.
The Prime Minister's official spokeswoman said: "It will be an opportunity in part to talk about the process of leaving the European Union, how we see the upcoming months, but also to talk about the upcoming October European Council and some of the issues that we expect to be on the agenda for that, such as migration, trade and where we are at with the situation in eastern Ukraine."
Mrs May told MPs yesterday she was seeking "the right deal" on trade in goods and services after Britain withdraws from the EU, but refused to say whether she wanted the UK to remain in the European single market.
The PM and her ministers were accused of "waffle" by Scottish National Party Westminster leader Angus Robertson, while the Liberal Democrats' Tim Farron said: "This Government isn't concealing its hand - it hasn't got a hand or, it would appear, a clue."
Jeremy Corbyn accused the Government of issuing "contradictory messages" on Brexit which were exacerbating "huge uncertainty" about the UK's future.
But the Labour leader found himself in a row over the single market after a senior aide suggested he might rule out full membership unless Britain can negotiate exemptions from key EU rules.