Brexit trade talks to be pushed back by another four months, Merkel ally says

The prospect of a 'no deal' is raising its head

The timetable of Brexit talks now faces being pushed back again by another four months at a make-or-break EU summit in December, a key ally of Angela Merkel has said.

Manfred Weber, the German group leader of the centre-right European People’s Party, said it looked increasingly unlikely the EU27 nations would judge Britain to have made “sufficient progress” in negotiations to open trade talks on the UK’s future relationship with Europe.

Failure for the Prime Minister at the December summit – coming after a similar hiccup in October – would mean the next opportunity to move to trade talks would come at a Council meeting at the end of March next year, nearly a four month delay.

With Article 50 pulling Britain out of the bloc automatically in March 2019 and the EU insisting any deal be finalsied six months in advance, rejection again in Brussels would dramatically heighten the prospect of a ‘no deal’.

Ms May will personally travel to the European Parliament next week on a mission to win support for her plans at the elected body. The Prime Minister has however refused to address MEPs publicly and will only have meetings behind closed doors.

“Theresa May has asked for talks. She knows the negotiations are in a decisive phase,” said Mr Weber, who is domestically a member of Ms Merkel’s CDU/CSU party.

“In the coming weeks we will see whether a constructive outcome is possible or whether the uncertainty will continue to grow. In December it doesn’t look like we will be entering into the second phase.”

Speaking to reporters at a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday Mr Weber added that “the clock is ticking”.

Mr Weber’s comments are in contrast with those by Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, who told the Irish Parliament last week that he now thought it was "likely" that sufficient progress would be granted at the European Council meeting scheduled for 14 and 15 December.

European Commission chief negotiator Michel Barnier also said last week that the UK had two weeks to make concessions or clarifications on its offer if it wanted sufficient progress in December.

Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP (European Parliament)

Mr Weber has taken a tough line during Brexit talks, having warned in September that Britain's current approach to Brexit – which he characterised as "cherry picking" – "will not fly".

His intervention have repeatedly poured cold water over eurosceptics’ previous hopes that the German Chancellor would cut Britain a favourable deal once she was re-elected.

The EU will not discuss trade or Britain’s future relationship with the EU until EU citizens’ rights, the divorce bill, and the issue of the Northern Ireland border are sufficiently settled.

No extra rounds of face-to-face talks in Brussels have yet been scheduled before the December summit.