Theresa May has declared that she wants to begin the formal process of Brexit by February next year, according to one of Brussels’ leading figures.
European Council President Donald Tusk said the prime minister told him during their meeting at Downing Street last week that she would be ready to trigger Article 50 to begin Brexit by February.
Formal negotiations between the UK and the EU cannot begin until she starts the two year process, which Brexit secretary David Davis has insisted will be triggered without a parliamentary vote.
With Britain’s withdrawal clouded in confusion and no clear signal on whether the country intends to stay in the single market or not, Europe’s 27 other leaders gathered for an informal summit in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, without the prime minister.
Speaking about his meeting with the PM, Tusk told a summit press conference: “Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me.
“She declared that it’s almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it’s quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January maybe in February next year.”
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon vowed to block any proposals for an EU army while Britain remains a member of the union in a move likely to anger European leaders.
In his state of the union address on Wednesday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for EU countries “to pool their defence capabilities in the form of a permanent structured co-operation”, and proposed a European Defence Fund by the end of the year.
But Sir Michael said the UK would veto plans for any EU army that may rival Nato.
“That is not going to happen,” he told The Times. “We are full members of the EU and we will go on resisting any attempt to set up a rival to Nato.
“We have always been concerned about unnecessarily duplicating what we already have in Nato.”
In Bratislava, Juncker insisted Britain cannot get access to the European single market without accepting the free movement of workers.
The conundrum has become central to the Brexit debate and has caused friction within the government as ministers weigh up how to maintain the benefits of the trading bloc while regaining full control of the UK’s borders — a goal deemed by May as essential to properly implement the referendum result.
The PM slapped down Davis for saying it was “very improbable” that the UK could be in the single market and end free movement, and then insisted the government would not offer a “running commentary” on negotiations.
Commenting on the issue, Juncker told the press conference: “There’s a clear interlink as we made clear since the very beginning between the access to the internal market and the basic principles of the internal market, mainly the one of the freedom of movement of workers.
“We are sticking to that position and this is not a game between prime ministers leaving and prime ministers remaining, this is about people in Europe.
“It’s about the rights of ordinary people and workers, of those living in Europe, and so I can’t see any possibility of compromising on that very issue.”
European Union leaders have given themselves the winter to prepare for Brexit.
The 28 leaders, not including Prime Minister Theresa May, committed to have a clear roadmap of the way forward after Britain’s exit by late March.
They plan to discuss practical results during the meeting in spring to mark the 60th anniversary of the EU founding Treaty of Rome in the Italian capital.
“Europe can, must move forward as long as it has clear priorities: protection, security, prosperity and the future of the youth,” said French President Francois Hollande at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Merkel called the current situation in the EU “critical” and said the next months would be “decisive”. She mentioned the migration and economic problems that have left an increasing disenchantment with the EU across many of the member states.
EU Council president Donald Tusk said the current mood in the EU is “sober but not defeatist”. Summit co-host and Slovak prime minister Robert Fico added that exchanges were frank at the summit.
“There are different views, different ideas,” he said.
l Police officers from Poland have been on patrol in Essex after a Polish man was killed in a suspected “hate crime” attack.
Arkadiusz Jozwik, 40, was killed following an attack outside a takeaway in The Stow on Saturday, August 27 at around 11.35pm.
He died in hospital two days later after he suffered head injuries.
Two other men, believed to be friends of the victim, were also assaulted.
Six teenage boys were arrested following the attack, which is being treated as a suspected hate crime.
Essex Police accepted an offer by the Polish State Police earlier this month to send two officers to support their engagement work with Polish residents in the town.
Second lieutenant Bartosz Czernicki and chief sergeant Dariusz Tybura – who work for the International Co-operation division of the Polish State Police, based in Warsaw – have joined British officers on patrol.
District commander chief inspector Alan Ray said the officers were working to help police engage with “members of the Polish community who do not speak English as their first language”. They have no investigative role and no police powers.
Second lieutenant Czernicki said: “The aim of our visit is to establish co-operation with the local Polish community, and to make it easier for them to report various incidents to the police.