Brexit. Why do Brits want Out of the EU?

Finnish prime minister who chairs EU council says 'no practical or legal' way to get a deal before meeting

EU leaders have told Boris Johnson there is no way to strike a Brexit agreement before this week's summit, destroying his hopes of presenting a deal to parliament at a special sitting on Saturday.

Finland's Prime Minister Antti Rinne, whose government currently holds the rotating EU presidency, warned there was no "practical or legal way" to find an agreement before Thursday's meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

Simon Coveney, the Irish deputy prime minister, also suggested on Monday that talks might have to "move into next week" though he said it was "too early to say".

Speaking in Helsinki alongside Belgian prime minister Charles Michel, who is the next European Council president, Mr Rinnie told reporters: "I think there is no time in a practical or legal way to find an agreement before the EU Council meeting. We need more time."

There was little progress to show from technical talks in Brussels, despite discussions continuing over the weekend and both sides labelling negotiations as "constructive". A negotiating "tunnel" covering the talks means that there is little official information about what is being discussed in the room between the two sides.

A delay to talks beyond this week's gathering of EU leaders would complicate matters as under UK law the prime minister will have to request an extension to Article 50. The Commons is expected to hold an unprecedented emergency weekend sitting on Saturday to assess progress.

Delays could also mean that further emergency summit could also be required to sign off a deal, if one were reached – as it was in November when Theresa May got her last-minute agreement.

Boris Johnson has publicly said he will not seek an extension, though the government told a UK court that that it would comply with the so-called Benn Act, which requires the prime minister ask for a further delay to avert a no-deal exist on 31 October.

"I think it’s too early to say, even though we’re only a few days away from the summit. It’s too early to say whether it’s possible to get a breakthrough this week or whether it will move into next week," Mr Coveney, the Tánaiste, told Irish broadcaster RTÉ at a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg.

“What they’re attempting to do here is to write a legal text for an international treaty, that is a Withdrawal Agreement. That means it’s got to be watertight, it’s got to stand up to full scrutiny and legal challenge potentially, and what they’re trying to do is complicated.

“They’re trying to put in place an arrangement that is NI-specific, that protects UK interests and EU interests, in a way that’s quite complex. So we need to give negotiating teams space to do that, I think there is good will and a political determination to get this done.”

“It is being left very late in the day but we shouldn’t write off this summit as a potential opportunity for agreement.”

Downing Street again on Monday ruled out any delay. The PM’s official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "The talks remain constructive but there is still a lot of work still to do."

Asked whether the PM was sticking to his 31 October pledge, the spokesman said: “I think the prime minister has always said we need to leave the EU on the 31st.

“We need to leave the EU on 31 October to restore trust in our democracy. That is what the prime minister is committed to achieving.”

The spokesman said it was “news to me” that a technical extension could be possible.

Asked if this was the last chance to get a deal, he said: “The PM has set out we are under great time pressure and has repeatedly stressed the importance of us completing this process so we can leave on 31 October.”

The spokesman added: “If after three years of debate we are able to secure a deal that parliament can support, the public would expect parliament to work around the clock to pass that legislation in order to allow us to leave on 31 October.”

If there is to be a deal, it seems inevitable that it will include a process to allow Northern Ireland to decide if and for how long it will stay aligned to the single market and customs union.

And that’s exactly as it should be.

But think about what that will mean.

Wales will have voted to leave.

England will have voted to leave.

Northern Ireland will be given a say over its future.

Scotland will be the only country in the UK to be taken out of the EU against our will and with no say over our future relationship with Europe.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brexit talks will resume in Brussels on Wednesday morning after “constructive” negotiations that went into the night on Tuesday, a British spokesman said.

“The teams worked into the night and continue to make progress. The teams will meet again this morning,” he said.

Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, ended weeks of defiance by No 10, admitting the government “will comply” with the commitment it gave to a Scottish court last month.

“I confirm that the government will abide by what it set out,” he told a committee of MPs. Asked to confirm that meant sending the letter, Mr Barclay added: “You read it out.”

Until now, Downing Street has threatened to defy the law, even by challenging the terms of the Benn Act in court – and even with the threat of Mr Johnson being sent to jail.

WARSAW (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday it should be known in seven or eight hours when Brexit could happen and in theory a deal could be accepted on Thursday.

Talks are underway which will decide if an agreement can be reached that would allow Britain to leave the European Union with a deal on its scheduled departure date of Oct. 31.

Theoretically in seven to eight hours everything should be clear.

It is still undergoing changes and the basic foundations of this agreement are ready and theoretically we could accept a deal tomorrow ...

Yesterday evening I was ready to bet on it ... today again certain doubts have appeared from the British side ...

Everything is going in the right direction, but you will have noticed yourselves that with Brexit and above all with our British partners anything is possible.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has been speaking and says that he “wants to believe” an agreement on Brexit is being “finalised” among negotiators in Brussels.

Speaking in Toulouse, he said “I want to believe that a deal is being finalised and that we can approve it tomorrow (Thursday),” when EU leaders are meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.