BREXIT LIVE: EU vows to kickstart divorce despite pushing Brexit to END of agenda
EU OFFICIALS have vowed to end the stalemate in Brexit negotiations as Thursday's crunch European Council summit approaches.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is due to give an update on Brexit talks at a press conference tonight.
Mr Barnier has been meeting the EU's General Affairs Council in Luxembourg today to discuss the key issues surrounding Brexit.
The officials talked about the future of the Northern Irish border as well as the UK's post-Brexit trading arrangements with the EU.
Theresa May is hoping to make major progress at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
But the summit will be overshadowed by other issues as EU leaders discuss the migrant crisis, security and the bloc's finances.
One EU insider described the UK's impending divorce from the bloc as a mere "footnote" at the bottom of the summit's agenda.
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Earlier today, the Queen granted royal assent to Mrs May's flagship Brexit legislation on Tuesday, the EU Withdrawal Bill.
Cheers erupted in the House of Commons as Speaker John Bercow announced the bill had been signed into law by the monarch.
The bill, which enables EU law to be transferred into UK law, was subject to fierce parliamentary debate in the Commons and Lords.
The Lords, where the Government does not have a majority, made 15 key changes to the legislation, which were later overturned by MPs.
Theresa May distanced herself from the Foreign Secretary over his reportedly expletive-fuelled outburst against business leaders.
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Boris Johnson is said to have exclaimed "f*** business" when asked about the Brexit fears of some company bosses.
The Prime Minister declined to say if she had reprimanded the Cabinet minister over the comments.
But she told The Times CEO summit on Tuesday that she wanted business to be able to speak to the government.
"Business is at the heart of how we are going to develop this country," she said.
"We want to ensure we are listening to the business voice because business provides the backbone of our economy," she added.
"It's right that we listen to the voice of business."
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