EU tells Theresa May to go back to Brexit drawing board

The president of the European Council has told Theresa May to go back to the drawing board and rework her plans for Britain’s economic relationship with the EU after Brexit.

Speaking at the start of a significant EU summit in Salzburg Donald Tusk said the UK policy on Ireland, as well as the PM’s proposals on how Britain would trade with the bloc after it left, needed to be “re-worked and further negotiated”.

Mr Tusk is just the latest senior EU figure to shoot down the Chequers plan for a “facilitated customs arrangement” and a “common rulebook” for goods – with Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier both having made clear the proposal is unacceptable to them.

EU heads of state and government will on Wednesday night over dinner hear a brief address from Ms May about Brexit, though there will be no debate with her in the room. Tomorrow over lunch the leaders are expected to discuss Brexit without Ms May there and reach a settled view on Chequers.

“Brexit negotiations are entering their decisive phase. Various scenarios are still possible today, but I would like to stress that some of Prime Minister May’s proposals from Chequers indicate a positive evolution in the UK’s approach as well as a will to minimise the negative effects of Brexit,” Mr Tusk told reporters at the summit.

“By this, I mean, among other things the readiness to cooperate closely in areas such as security and foreign policy. On other issues such as the Irish question or the framework for economic cooperation, the UK’s proposals will need to be re-worked and further negotiated.

“Today there is perhaps more hope but there is surely less and less time. Therefore every day that is left we must use for talks. I would like to finalise them still this autumn. This is why at tomorrow’s meeting of the 27 I will propose calling an additional summit around the mid of November.”

Leaders are expected to find positive things to say about the Chequers plan, but not about the proposals on customs and single market regulations.

One divide amongst member states is thought to be the extent to which they should hold Britain to negotiating a detailed plan for the future relationship before March 2019. Some say the plan should be permitted to be vague to help prevent a no-deal, while France and other member states argue it would be wrong to kick the trade talks can down the road.

Other than Brexit, leaders will discuss solutions to the migration crisis at the summit. Mr Tusk warned governments to "stop the migration blame game" and said that instead of taking political advantage of the situation they should try and work out a solution. He also pointed out that migration to Europe now had fallen to levels lower than the start of the crisis.