EU heavyweights turn up the pressure on Theresa May to break Brexit deadlock
Donald Tusk and Michel Barnier have called for 'concrete' Brexit proposals from the Prime Minister, insisting 'decisive progress' has not been made
BRUSSELS bosses last night demanded Theresa May blink first as she prepares to call on EU leaders to help her break a Brexit deadlock.
The PM will tell Europe’s 27 other bosses in Brussels tonight that they are making “good progress” elsewhere despite the bitter stand-off over the Irish border.
But in a bid to ramp up time pressure on her to shift her red lines, EU Council chief Donald Tusk told her she must come up with “concrete proposals” fast or risk Britain crashing out of the bloc without a deal.
His ultimatum came as eurocrats turned the screw by preparing to scrap an emergency summit next month and take Brexit talks to the wire at Christmas.
And Germany sent a stern message to the PM urging her to “take responsibility and be constructive” at tonight’s summit.
Leaders are expected to ditch a planned get-together in late November, which was foreseen as a deal clinching moment, over a lack of progress.
Michel Barnier gave a gloomy verdict to EU ministers yesterday evening telling them his threshold for “decisive progress” has not been met.
And following a meeting with the Frenchman, Mr Tusk warned he had “no grounds for optimism” there will be a breakthrough at today’s leaders’ dinner.
He said: “The only source of hope for a deal for now is the goodwill and determination on both sides.
“However, for a breakthrough to take place besides goodwill we need new facts.
“I’m going to ask Prime Minister May whether she has concrete proposals on how to break the impasse.
“Only such proposals can determine if a breakthrough is possible.”
Sources told The Sun that tonight’s dinner is now expected to be a brief affair with negotiations effectively on hold since Sunday.
An EU diplomat said: “There’s nothing to talk about. It’s not our decision - the ball’s in May’s court now. I can’t see many options left.”
Another added: “It doesn’t seem like the condition of Salzburg on substantial progress has been met. As a result there’s no paper on the table.”
Speaking at a meeting of EU27 Europe ministers in Luxembourg, Mr Barnier said: “We’re not there yet.
“There are still several issues which remain unresolved including that of Ireland.
“More time is needed to find this comprehensive deal and to reach this decisive progress which we need in order to finalise these negotiations.”
Meanwhile Paris urged the PM to soften her red lines and agree to the withdrawal package and Canada-style trade deal tabled by Brussels.
France’s Europe minister Nathalie Loiseau said: “We ask Theresa May to consider the offer that has been made by the EU27.
“We can have either a smooth Brexit or a rocky one. We’d prefer a smooth one but we have to stand ready if there’s no deal.”
It is understood Paris is pushing for negotiations to resume as early as Thursday in a bid to avoid a crisis point at Christmas.
And Poland’s Europe minister Konrad Szymanski warned: “We’re quite close to a no deal. We believe we should do all we can to save the deal.
But top EU officials are “relaxed” about the timeframe with all the pressure on Mrs May, who needs to get any deal past a “meaningful vote” of MPs.
Irish PM Leo Varadkar said this week that a planned summit on December 13 may now be “the best opportunity for a deal”.
But in a two-pronged approach he also announced last night that Dublin is beefing up no deal preparations at the country’s ports and airports.
A senior EU official said: “It’s always the case that decisions are made at five to midnight.”
And a top diplomat added: “We’ll work to the last second to try and get a deal.”
But there were mixed messages emerging out of Europe last night as France appeared to significantly soften its hardline stance towards the UK.
A French official said: “Squaring the circle will require pragmatic solutions. Discussions are continuing, things are not frozen.”
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And referring to the PM’s demand that an Irish border backstop must be temporary, they added: “There is a possible space to find an agreement.”
Meanwhile Poland split from the pack and blasted other EU countries and eurocrats for fuelling tensions with Britain by using inflammatory language.
In a pointed rebuke Europe minister Konrad Szymanski said: “We need to listen carefully to what Theresa May says.
“She is our negotiating partner who, in good faith, is searching for an agreement as well.”
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The Sun Says
SURPRISE, surprise. Brussels wants an even more craven surrender from Theresa May tonight. Are they for real?
We voted to leave. Our MPs voted to quit the Customs Union. Yet the EU seriously insists we must stay in it anyway until it decides otherwise (i.e. never).
And, not satisfied with its contempt for our democracy and sovereignty, it aims to destroy the United Kingdom itself by dividing Northern Ireland from Britain, which no PM could accept.
Brussels seeks to cripple our trading future while demanding Mrs May risks the destruction of her Cabinet, her Government, a second referendum or a General Election. But it falls to Britain, they say, to be “constructive”.
No Deal looks nailed on from here, doesn’t it? And no wonder.