EU’s Tusk says a compromise with Britain is still possible

Jeremy Hunt told the BBC that the European Union should work with Britain to try to find a way to make British Prime Minister Theresa May’s “sensible, concrete proposals actually work” in the divorce between Britain and the bloc.

The British pound, already down Friday against the dollar and the euro, fell sharply following May’s comments.

Sterling jumped above $1.31, leaving it up around 0.5 percent on the day, as Raab spoke.

“After intensive consultations with member states, we decided that for the good of the negotiations, and out of respect for the efforts of PM May, we will treat the Chequers plan as a step in the right direction”. “In the meantime, we must and will continue the work of preparing ourselves for no deal”, she said. “A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it”, she said. “May has locked herself into a position where she (or anyone else) can not easily resolve the dilemmas involved”, says Dr Usherwood.

The judgment of British newspapers was brutal. The broadly pro-EU Guardian said May had been “humiliated”.

Britain’s opposition Labour Party will vote this week on whether there should be a second referendum on the outcome of the Brexit talks, although its finance spokesman said on Monday these would be on any final deal struck rather than on reversing the process altogether.

Key EU power-brokers Angela Merkel of Germany and Emmanuel Macron of France were among the most dismissive of the PM’s position at Salzburg and other leaders stressed the premium they place on maintaining unity.

The EU says May is trying to cherry-pick, and that it would risk unraveling the single market – the system of rules and standards that allows trade, services and people to move freely across borders.

While May’s speech hasn’t changed the substance of the EU’s response, there was a distinct softening of tone in Tusk’s statement designed to deescalate a row he helped to create with a photo posted on his Instagram account.

“Following a meeting with representatives of the other 27 European Union nations, Michel Barnier said October will prove decisive to ‘see if a Brexit agreement is within reach”.

But anti-Brexit activist Gina Miller said British officials shouldn’t have been surprised.

More than half the Cabinet are reportedly in favor of a similar deal that would be modeled closely on the free trade agreement Canada operates with the EU. Failing to do so could disrupt the lives of people and business on both sides, and undermine Northern Ireland’s hard-won peace.

The IEA urged May to back an advanced free trade agreement with the European Union, with full reciprocal market access, no tariffs in goods including agriculture and maximum recognition of regulatory standards through hi-tech border checks. It would keep Northern Ireland in the customs unions and parts of the single market, separating it from the rest of the United Kingdom with a border down the Irish Sea.

Finding a way to make this border work is a big part of the problem of reaching a deal to leave the EU.

Following the events in Salzburg last week, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has come out swinging, defending her Chequers plan for exiting the European Union.

Despite the somber mood music, May hinted there could be a way forward. But Mrs May has time and again shown her determination to soldier on after setbacks which would have floored other politicians, and few in Westminster think she is ready to throw in the towel now.