EU's Barnier says no update from Britain on Brexit

Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis welcomes the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to Downing Street in London, February 5, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Thomson Reuters

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Friday that he had received no update from London on what sort of relation it wanted with the bloc after Brexit.

The lack of an update stemmed from scheduling constraints on the British side, he said.

Banier added that any British withdrawal from the EU and customs union would make border checks inevitable but that there should be no ambiguity in whatever deal is struck on the Irish border.

Britain has ruled out staying in any customs union with the EU after Brexit, but the nature of its trading relationship with the world's biggest trading bloc has split Theresa May's government and Conservative Party.

(Reporting by Phil Blenkinsop; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel @AdeCar)

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