There’s no British solution to the Irish problem
Britain and the EU have made progress on money and citizens’ rights, but not on Ireland
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said that Ireland's position on the border has not changed and that we cannot be expected to take a 'leap in the dark' and move onto phase two of Brexit negotiations. Video: Bryan O'Brien
Theresa May has an unhappy history of dinners with Jean Claude Juncker, each one leaving a bitter aftertaste in the form of a detailed, unflattering leak to a German newspaper. British officials hope their lunch in Brussels next Monday will be an altogether happier affair, with the British prime minister persuading the European Commission president it is time to move Brexit negotiations on to the next stage.
British negotiators insist that Monday’s lunch is not the deadline for agreement ahead of a meeting of European Union leaders on December 14th. But EU officials say they must be persuaded well in advance of the summit that Britain has made sufficient progress on the three priority issues of money, citizens’ rights – and Ireland.