Twenty-seven European Union countries have approved an initial Brexit deal between Brussels and London, and Friday’s agreement has been painted as a diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Theresa May. Yet her government has actually suffered negotiating defeat after defeat. And the backtracking probably won’t end soon. Consider Brussels’ decision to delay substantive talks on the future U.K.-EU relationship, including over trade, until March. While Mrs. May and her team hoped for a January start, the EU-27 have insisted that...

Source: Wall Street Journal December 17, 2017 19:18 UTC