“There are ways to say it kindly and encouragingly or less kindly and less encouraging,” said one senior EU diplomat. Draft conclusions insisting that there has been insufficient progress, in particular on the financial settlement, are also unlikely to be changed by the leaders. A London-based EU diplomat said: “It is Germany not France that is taking the toughest line. Phil Hogan, the Irish commissioner for agriculture at the EU, warned on Wednesday of the malign influence of the Brexiters within the Conservative party. We will be a demanding partner, transparent and predictable.”A summit on 14 December is now the deadline when EU leaders will judge whether the UK has made sufficient progress on the divorce issues that will allow talks to progress to trade.

Source: The Guardian October 18, 2017 18:31 UTC