BBC This Week presenter Andrew Neil said “money matters more” to the European Union after Brexit talks were held at deadlock until progress was made on the divorce bill, Irish border and citizens’ rights.

Mr Neil said: “It’s true, they are staying united too. But it’s not quite as you say. 

“Because when the £39 billion was agreed, but the British had to renegotiate elements of the Northern Ireland bit – the Commission, Paris, Berlin, told Dublin ‘you have to fall in line’.

“The pressure was their own, they were used by the Commission to cause the British problems. But the money matters more to the Commission than Dublin does. 

“So they had to fall in line in the end.”  

It was revealed that Theresa May gave in to EU demands to have a “continued regulatory alignment” between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland after Brexit in order to resolve the border issue. 

But the plan was shut down by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster who said “any form of regulatory divergence” between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland would be unacceptable. 

But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed on December 8 that enough progress been made on key Brexit issues in order to move on to trade talks. 

Negotiators have now published the full text of the agreement, which Mrs May said her DUP partners had agreed to back after "significant improvements" were made.  

European Council President Donald Tusk demanded the UK obey EU rules during the transition period - including new commands handed down by Brussels. 

It was confirmed by EU officials that there will be a “cliff edge” at the end of the transition period if there is no trade deal in place by March 2019. 

The 2-year transition period will not be treated as an implementation period as previously suggested by Theresa May.