EU27 gives green light for Brexit talks to move to key 'tunnel' phase

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/11/michel-barnier-meets-brexit-secretary-after-uks-positive-talks-with-ireland

EU27 gives green light for Brexit talks to move to key 'tunnel' phase

Daniel Boffey in Brussels

Fri 11 Oct 2019 12.35 BST First published on Fri 11 Oct 2019 09.08 BST

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has secured the agreement of the EU27 to open intensive “tunnel” negotiations on Boris Johnson’s latest proposals in a major boost for the British government.

Sources said ambassadors representing the EU member states had given the “green light” to accelerated negotiations, in the hope of agreeing terms by next Thursday’s summit.

The details of Johnson’s latest suggestion to the EU are yet to emerge. The development came shortly after Donald Tusk revealed that he had set the prime minister an ultimatum of presenting new Brexit proposals by Friday or “no more chances”, but said “positive signals” were now emerging.
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Tusk said, however, that “time was practically up” and there was “no guarantee” of success.
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Tusk said he told Johnson a week ago that “if there were no such proposals by today I would announce publicly that there are no more chances – because of objective reasons – for a deal for the incoming European council””.

“However, yesterday, when the Irish taoiseach and the UK prime minister met they both saw for the first time a pathway to a deal. I have received promising signals from the taoiseach that a deal is still possible.”
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