UK Brexit Minister Dominic Raab told the parliament yesterday that the European Council meeting next week will be an ” important milestone” for Brexit negotiation. And he expected it to be “a moment where we will make some progress”. He added that ” negotiations were always bound to be tough in the final stretch”. But he remained “confident we will reach a deal this autumn.” His refrained comments suggested that he is targeting to complete the deal in November rather than October, as not enough progress was made. Raab also reiterated the Chequers proposal will deliver “frictionless trade with the EU that we have now”. But he urged the EU to “meet us half way”.
Separately, ITV reported that Prime Minister Theresa May’s chief negotiation Olly Robbins has made “meaningful progress” with EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Irish border issue. But no detail on the so called progress was revealed, nor the source. The Times reported that May is planning to have an extended discussion on Brexit at next Tuesday’s cabinet meeting to warp things up before the EU summit.
