Next phase of Brexit talks ‘could be delayed until the end of the year’
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The next phase of Brexit talks may be delayed until Christmas, according to reports.
Officials had hoped to have made “sufficient progress” on negotiations regarding money, citizens and Ireland by October but it looks increasingly likely it will be pushed back until the end of the year, Sky News reports.
The delay is reportedly in part because agreeing a new German government has required a “more formal” engagement from Berlin than had been anticipated.
Any delay in Brexit talks would have a knock on effect on the start of talks about a transition period.
Michel Barnier, the European Union's chief negotiator, reportedly said last month that his recommendation of “sufficient progress” on the first stage of talks was “highly unlikely”.
The comment was believed to be because of the UK’s refusal to make clear its position on the so-called divorce bill from the European Union.
This week the Government published a 25-page position paper on Northern Ireland, setting out its plan that Brexit will not mean a return to a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.
