Politics
10:41, 02-Jul-2017
Gesture politics? UK PM could walk out of Brexit talks
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In a move which is being described as designed for "domestic consumption", the Sunday Telegraph has revealed that British business leaders have been told to brace for the possibility of Prime Minister Theresa May's government walking out of Brexit talks later this year.
The newspaper did not reveal how it had obtained the information but said the action would be designed to show the British public that the government is negotiating hard with the European Union.
The Sunday Telegraph said the briefing of business leaders by a senior May aide took place after last month's general election and the person has since left in the recent overhaul at the top of the government.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May arrives in Berlin, German on June 29, 2017 for the upcoming G20 summit which runs from July 7 to July 8. /VCG Photo
UK Prime Minister Theresa May arrives in Berlin, German on June 29, 2017 for the upcoming G20 summit which runs from July 7 to July 8. /VCG Photo
May's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Sunday Telegraph quoted a source in May's office saying a retreat from talks is not part of its plans.
Brexit minister David Davis said two months ago that Britain will not pay 100 billion euros (114 billion US dollars) to leave the European Union after it was reported that the EU was preparing to demand that amount.
The EU wants to agree with Britain on a formula for calculating how much it will owe the bloc after it leaves before it starts talks on its future trading relationship.
(Source: Reuters)