Yahoo Finance May and Juncker to finalise Brexit deal over ‘afternoon tea’
Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker are set to conclude Brexit talks in the most British way possible – over afternoon tea.
The prime minister will travel to Brussels on Wednesday afternoon to meet the European Commission president ahead of Sunday’s summit to sign off the Brexit deal.
The main part of the deal – the 585-page withdrawal agreement – was published last week, but the UK and EU still need to agree on the declaration of the future relationship.
Crucially, this will set out both sides’ vision for post-Brexit trade arrangements.
The meeting – organised after a phone call between the pair earlier this week – will take place at the European Commission’s headquarters at 5.30pm local time, it was confirmed.
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“By the way – this is not dinner, this is afternoon tea,” a commission spokesperson added.
The spokesperson refused to confirm whether last minute negotiations would happen during the meeting – something the EU has tried to avoid.
Asked whether EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier would be present, he added it would be at the leaders’ discretion.
“We have a process now where we discuss with our member states and with our British partners ahead of the European Council, Sunday,” the spokesperson told journalists at the commission’s daily press conference in Brussels.
“The aim of this last stretch is to endorse the withdrawal agreement and approve the terms of the future relationship, the political declaration for the future relationship. This is a moment where work is ongoing.”
In London, the prime minister’s spokesperson said the meeting was about “filling out the details” of the political declaration, although he added: “I wouldn’t anticipate a shaking of hands on the final document tomorrow.”
May will not be joined at the meeting by the new Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay, who is concentrating on preparations for the possibility of a no-deal situation.
Ahead of the meeting, Juncker and his commissioners will hear a detailed update on the state of play in negotiations from Barnier and likely give their approval on what has been agreed.
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While talks on the withdrawal agreement finished last week, May’s Brexit adviser Olly Robbins has remained in Brussels to hammer out the details of the political declaration.
Member states were expected to rubber-stamp the documents at Sunday’s summit.
The agenda for the meeting sets aside just an hour for discussion among the EU27 – giving each member state around two minutes speaking time each.
But that could become a more complicated meeting because of a row over Gibraltar.
Spain are threatening to oppose the deal because the withdrawal agreement does not deliver on a key EU commitment. This states that future trade deals should not apply to Gibraltar without Spain’s agreement.
A commission spokesperson said: “We are aware of the concerns of the Spanish government, and we’re working on it.”
