Europe’s leaders have spent days talking up the chances of an agreement at the Brussels meeting next week, which they have dubbed the “moment of truth”, in a bid to bounce Britian.
But in a surprise move yesterday with just nine to go, the angry PM threw talks into go-slow mode and accused the EU of being the block.
“Big issues” still remain to be resolved and that still “requires movement on the EU side”, No10 insisted.
Mrs May is holding out for “a precise future framework” from Brussels over the shape of the UK-EU trade deal to avoid a ‘blind Brexit’.
It has emerged that EU negotiators want to fob her off with a brief list of aspirations as short as three pages long.
A second sticking point is the EU’s failure to accept a UK wide customs solution as a backstop to keep the Irish border open.
And until that changes, The Sun understands No10 will refuse to put forward a fresh proposal on regulations to seal agreement on the backstop.
In a move that will infuriate Brussels, the PM’s official spokesman also refused to commit to forging a deal at the October summit, only pledging to strike one “this autumn”.
The spokesman added: “There is a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal, and a deal – including a withdrawal deal and a future framework – actually being agreed”.
Laying down the quid pro quo, the spokesman said: “It is worth repeating that there can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework.”
The PM also suspended a visit to Brussels by Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab this week until the EU budges.
As tension ratcheted last night, DUP boss Arlenne Foster took the rare move of flying to Brussels for a three days of intensive talks.
The Northern Irish power-broker will meet Michel Barnier in a bid to find a “backstop” deal that the Ulster-hardliners can support, but she reiterated her vow to block any move to create new checks for the province.
The Sun Says
THERESA May is right to block the EU’s latest stunt — a bid to stampede her into a disastrous deal for Britain.
Their strategy is transparent. They are telling the world an agreement is all but done. That it just needs Mrs May to stop mucking about and sign up.
But their “deal” is merely their wishlist, much of it utterly unacceptable.
Take the idea that, to solve the Irish border problem they blew out of all proportion, we should divide up the UK with customs checks between Northern Ireland and the mainland.
Or the suggestion that we stay in the Customs Union indefinitely.
The EU pretend we would be fully free once they are happy that technology can police the Irish border.
But Brussels would NEVER agree that time is right. Why would they?
Britain would be exactly where they want us. Trapped for ever, barred from forging a future as an independent trading nation and powerless within the EU too. They wouldn’t give the border issue another thought.
Why would our PM agree to that? Especially having risked everything getting MPs to back staying out of the Customs Union in July? It would be a craven, historic surrender.
So would signing away our £39billion divorce payment in exchange for some vague list of EU aspirations about trade.
That money must buy a legally binding, detailed, irreversible agreement.
Mrs May will need every ounce of courage in the next fortnight.
But no deal IS better than the bad ones Brussels aims to railroad her into.
She said: “The UK single market must be protected with no new borders between Northern Ireland and Great Britain being created.
From day one this has been the DUP’s only red line”.
In a further sign that Brexit talks were slowing down, the PM’s chief exit adviser Olly Robbins was yesterday spotted in a Brussels pub drinking red wine alone.
Mr Robbins had travelled to resume technical talks with the EU Commission but talks had finished by five thirty in the afternoon – despite claims they were going to the wire.
And Brexit is not on the official Cabinet agenda today – with Ministers meeting to discuss the Budget, the anniversary of the Race Audit and World Mental Health day instead.
Despite vowing to take the PM on after party conference over the shape of the future relationship with the EU, last night there were no plans for Ministers to tackle Mrs May directly today.
Browbeaten senior Tories believe they would only be “shut down” if they tried to raise the issue, as the PM has a tight control over the agenda.
But there is anger around the top table at the lack of “open discussion” in Cabinet about the direction of Brexit talks after Mrs May only read out an update at last week’s meeting and did not accept questions.
Meanwhile senior Brexiteers were last night plotting to keep pressure on Theresa May in the run up to next week’s crunch EU Council meeting.
The powerful ERG bloc will meet in the Commons tonight in a show of strength, following a conference call of senior figures last night to plot tactics.
One source told the Sun: “The critical thing is that we need to be on the front foot rather than responding to No.10 all the time.
It came amid a bitter fallout after Bernard Jenkin was accused of plotting to vote down the Budget if the Government sought Labour votes to secure a Brexit deal in the Commons.
As senior Brexiteers bickered behind the scenes, one told the Sun: “He shouldn’t have done that – it’s a major problem.
The view has been that he’s too close to No.10 and a bit soft which made it even harder to understand.
He’s not a freedom fighter.”
Separately Labour MPs rejected suggestions Tory whips had been in contact with as many as 25 to force through the Chequers plan.
One said: “Why would they before we know what the deal is?”
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