Demonstrators set up a mock customs checkpoint at the border crossing at Killeen in Northern Ireland to protest against the possible introduction of border checks PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty ImagesDavid Davis’s department has reacted angrily to European Commission claims that Britain is using the peace process in Northern Ireland as a “bargaining chip” in Brexit talks, accusing Brussels of ignoring the human costs at stake. The EU insists that it will not start talks on a trade relationship until the UK has settled its divorce bill, guaranteed the rights of EU residents in Britain and resolved the Irish border question. Mr Davis, the Brexit secretary, has said that avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic can be done only in the context of an agreement on trade and customs arrangements. Negotiations begin next week and the Commission piled the pressure on yesterday, accusing Britain of exploiting concerns that a hard border…

Source: The Times August 25, 2017 22:52 UTC