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Tusk warns UK: "People, money and Ireland" are the EU's first priorities

European Council President Donald Tusk (Rex)
European Council President Donald Tusk (Rex)

The government’s hopes of securing trade deals with the EU have been put firmly on the back-burner by European Council President Donald Tusk, who warned: “Before discussing our future, we must first sort out our past.”

Mr Tusk added that “people, money and Ireland” were top of the priority list during Brexit talks, which are due to take place in Brussels this weekend.

The European Council will meet for the first time as just 27 members on Saturday in order to discuss Brexit negotiation guidelines.

In a letter to his colleagues, Mr Tusk wrote: “We will not discuss our future relations with the UK until we have achieved sufficient progress on the main issues relating to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

“This is not only a matter of tactics, but – given the limited time frame we have to conclude the talks – it is the only possible approach.”

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In this “phased approach”, Mr Tusk says that the EU citizens living in the UK should come first. He called for “effective, enforceable, non-discriminatory and comprehensive” guarantees and “simple and smooth” administration.

Prime Minister Theresa May pictured with Donald Tusk earlier this month (Rex)
Prime Minister Theresa May pictured with Donald Tusk earlier this month (Rex)

He also confirmed that the British government must honour its financial commitments to the European Union, saying “all financial obligations undertaken by the EU of 28 will be honoured also by the UK”.

Finally, he said that “in order to protect the peace and reconciliation process described by the Good Friday Agreement” a hard border dividing Northern Ireland and the Republic should be avoided.

He called on his colleagues within the European Council to support him in this phased approach, adding that “we have to be ready to defend this logic during the upcoming negotiations”.