"In all areas, the U.K. continues to backtrack," says EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier, accusing Boris Johnson's government of distancing itself from the political declaration previously agreed with the bloc

"When the British government negotiate an agreement... do you honour it?" / Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says he would like to ask Michael Gove about why the UK has "not yet" implemented its Brexit agreements.

‘Perhaps I am being a bit harsh, but it’s about time we became a bit harsh,’ says Frans Timmermans.

'A case in point: is not refusing to list as a third country for food imports (SPS).'

The downbeat assessment comes as EU negotiator Michel Barnier describes the latest round of negotiations as "disappointing".

Michel Barnier’s new book (all 541 pages of it) takes a detailed look at the Brexit negotiations from the viewpoint of the EU chief negotiator himself.

Michel Barnier said in his letter to the Brexit secretary that citizens’ rights could not be picked apart from the withdrawal agreement.

Bloc sources say Britain is trying to water down EU geographical protections

Memoirs of negotiations show how Brussels lost trust in Downing Street team.

The Brexit negotiations aren’t even over, but Michel Barnier is giving thought to writing a book on Britain’s exit from the European Union.

EU negotiator signals future relationship negotiations are on course for acrimonious start.

Differences remain on old stumbling blocks of governance, fish and level playing field.

EU’s chief Brexit negotiator claims there has been no progress on key issues.

The EU's chief negotiator has told MEPs that negotiations on a post-Brexit deal could continue until Wednesday but no further.

The U.K. needs to be “more realistic” in its demands as trade talks with the European Union continue this week, according to the bloc’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

EU chief Brexit negotiator scotches hopes of special deal for City of London.

EU CHIEF Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is to meet Sinn Féin and DUP representatives today as the countdown begins to the UK leaving the European Union on Friday.

EU negotiator sets out main obstacles to deal, including rights convention and fishing.

Delays in ratification process means no-deal could hit for brief period after 1 January.

In frank interview, EU chief negotiator tells Britain that any lowering of regulatory standards will be punished.

The Brexit negotiations aren’t even over, but Michel Barnier is already planning a book on the subject.

Boris Johnson is facing a growing rebellion among senior Conservatives over his controversial Internal Market Bill - while former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Sir John Major urged MPs to reject it, saying it risked putting the Irish peace process, trade negotiations and the UK's integrity at peril.

EU sources say PM seemed taken aback when shown implications of his Brexit plan.

After days of intensive negotiations, the Prime Minister said he had reached a 'great' new deal with EU leaders.

Johnson and prominent members of his ruling Conservative Party have publicly called for the scrapping or radical overhaul of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

'Obviously if we can’t then we will have the very good option also of an Australian-style arrangement,' says PM.

Second phone call on Tuesday fails to convince UK to return to table.

EU’s Michel Barnier writes to opposition leader repeating offer of two-year extension.

Michel Barnier protests at risk to independent watchdog meant to protect residents’ rights – as prime minister seeks to open trade talks.

Glimmers of a potential Brexit deal have sparked dissent among Boris Johnson's allies, as the EU signals it may be open to another extension.

Chief negotiator sets out red lines for ‘basic agreement’ and says UK will have to agree to ‘level playing field’ if it wants access to European markets.

From his days stoking anti-European Union sentiment with exaggerated newspaper stories, to his populist campaign leading Britain out of the bloc and reneging on the post-Brexit trade deal he signed, outgoing U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been the bane of Brussels for all so many years.

EU Commissioner slams ‘cheap promises, simplified visions, blatantly incorrect statements’.

Drawing on their recent article, Tim Bale and Karl Pike explore the consequences of the ‘Merkel myth’ for Brexit – the notion that the key to UK withdrawal lay with Angela Merkel.

The UK would have to hold a referendum, general election, or some kind of other “political process” if it wants to delay Brexit again, the EU’s chief negotiator has said.

The president of the European Council has said he is open to a “long” delay to Brexit if the UK needs time to rethink its strategy to leaving the bloc.

French president says legal process could only be extended on the back of a ‘new choice’ by the UK.

A recurrent claim of the Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum was that it would be easy for the United Kingdom, once it had decided to leave the EU, to agree with the larger countries of the Union, notably Germany and France ... But the misconception was illuminating for its misjudgement of the European Union and the solidarity between its members.

Michel Barnier offers the UK the option of allowing Great Britain out of the backstop. In Pavlovian fashion, Brexiteers cry foul, accuse EU negotiators of bad faith and engage in a broader blame game: it’s all Brussels fault.

MICHEL BARNIER has warned the UK that Ireland will strengthen ties with the European Union rather than Britain post-Brexit.

Strong headwinds facing UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Chequers Brexit plan. / Michel Barnier doesn't like it much, Brexiteers don't like it at all, but Theresa May still insistent that Chequers is the best plan. / This week, we look at the political to-ing and fro-ing in the UK and get the views of Conservative MP and former UK Attorney General Dominic Grieve.

RTÉ Europe Editor Tony Connelly talks to former EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier and discusses diplomatic spats and The Who with Deputy Foreign Editor Colm Ó Mongáin.

Deputy Foreign Editor Colm Ó Mongáin is joined by London Correspondent Sean Whelan on the Brexit vibes in elections in Scotland and England and by Europe Editor Tony Connelly on the latest round of naval gazing off the Jersey coast and his first impressions of Michel Barnier's impressions of the DUP as revealed in his new book.

Brexit remains a “lose, lose” situation for both the UK and the European Union, Michel Barnier said, a year on from the trade agreement he helped negotiate.

Michel Barnier accuses UK of "backtracking" on commitments but government sources accuse EU of offering only a "binary choice".

UK set to push ahead with legislation that would break commitments made to EU earlier this year.

Sources from both sides confirm that no further negotiations are scheduled.

Britain's Brexit trade deal with the EU was determined by "quarrels, low blows, [and] multiple betrayals" by self-aggrandizing Tory MPs, Michel Barnier has written in his long-awaited memoirs.

'I don't think we've got time for these games', chief negotiator says.

UK’s David Frost also warns of prospect of no deal but insists agreement can still be reached.

After another round of faltering talks, Brussels' chief negotiator says: "I simply don’t understand why we are wasting valuable time."

Barnier says PM’s acceptance of need for ‘evolution clause’ as standards diverge has unlocked talks.

Chief negotiator says deal is still unlikely.

Michel Barnier’s bombshell private admission directly contradicts PM’s ‘get Brexit done’ slogan

Proposed procedures for importing and exporting of goods are “convoluted, expensive and will seriously hamper trade with other countries”, says BMPA.

On 7 October last year, there was a defining phone call between Boris Johnson and Angel Merkel.

Deadline to agree regulatory equivalence for financial services and allow business after Brexit likely to be missed.

The Northern Ireland protocol row shows the similarities between two former imperial powers intent on regaining lost glory.

Europe Letter: UK’s reputation diminished as EU capitals digest declaration to break law

EU negotiator expresses frustrations at UK refusal to discuss key issues of transition. / Michel Barnier has suggested the UK is running down the clock in talks over the future trade and security relationship with the EU.

Businesses will have to adjust to new trading conditions in the middle of a pandemic.

European parliament says mixed messages have caused ‘unhelpful uncertainty’.

Almost 50% decline shows need for veterinary deal to ease ‘red tape mountain’, says Labour.

EU restates opposition as Ursula von der Leyen warns of ‘challenging times ahead’.

EU sources fear Boris Johnson hasn’t yet got backing for compromises on state aid to business

Meeting of EU leaders this month will instead focus on post-Covid recovery and China relations.

Senior ministers expected to sign off on the UK’s negotiating blueprint on Tuesday.

I've been tagged in this because I was on #Newsnight on the same panel, but I wasn't asked to respond to this claim about Dominic Raab. So I thought it might be helpful to share the actual clip from the Panorama documentary referenced, showing Barnier talking about Raab.

The United Kingdom has passed the point of no return. It has less than six months to reach a new trade deal with the European Union or risk heaping more pressure on companies that are already laying off tens of thousands of workers because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Boris Johnson vowed Brexit minister would ‘fix’ problem - but peer insists it’s down to more junior departments.

The progress made in post-Brexit trade talks between the UK and EU has been disappointing, Michel Barnier has said.

Commission president draws attention to less well-known area where two sides are at odds.

Dominic Raab "chickened out" of no-deal Brexit after his threats to pull out of talks were met with support from the EU, Michel Barnier states in his new book.

The chief Brexit negotiator for Brussels said he would like the two sides to work together to build a new partnership.

As the EU and UK continue to prepare for the trade negotiations, there are clear signs that all is not well when it comes to implementing the divorce part of Brexit, in particular the Irish Protocol.

Sabine Weyand, the author of the withdrawal agreement, will move to another department, with Michel Barnier also eyeing another role.

Michel Barnier says 'we're not really in a position where we're able to find an agreement'.

Brexit was caused partly by “nostalgia for the past” that served no purpose in politics, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said.

‘We stand by our commitments’, says president Ursula von der Leyen.

There will be border checks on trade inside the UK under the Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson, the EU’s chief negotiator has said.

Former PM made ‘huge mistake’, says Michel Barnier – who backs Labour plan for post-Brexit veterinary deal.

Sources say PM’s insistence on Ireland customs border means there is no basis for discussions

Top EU leaders have given Boris Johnson an ultimatum to come up with a new Brexit plan by the end of September, or face up to a no-deal.

In a Westminster-clad puff of smoke, any residual "maybes" about a new Brexit deal being agreed by mid-October have evaporated in Brussels.

EU leaders have dropped a pledge to "intensify" Brexit negotiations after this week's summit, in signs that Brussels is prepared to call Boris Johnson's bluff on his threat to walk away from trade talks.

Macron insists there is no margin for negotiation over French fishing rights.

European parliament leaders have vowed to block any future UK-EU trade deal if Boris Johnson goes ahead with a bill which would violate the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Downing Street has called on EU leaders such as Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to intervene and find a political way out of the impasse.

But under the proposal, the Northern Ireland-only backstop would remain in place indefinitely if a future trade deal is not agreed.

EU officials involved with Brexit negotiations privately considered aspects of Theresa May’s approach “insane” and “pathetic”, a new behind-the-scenes documentary shows. / BBC camera crews were given access to Brexit officials in the European Parliament to make Brexit: Behind Closed Doors, a two-part series focusing on the team around Guy Verhofstadt.

Political declaration but not withdrawal agreement could be re-opened, Michel Barnier says.

Michel Barnier makes final offer on Irish border that falls short of Theresa May's demands.

Juncker, Barnier and Verhofstadt again say there will be no change on backstop.

Chief negotiator Michel Barnier says 'the EU sets its own conditions for opening up its markets for goods and services'

UK could be fined by the European Court of Justice which - to the likely fury of Tory MPs – will retain the power if there is 'any backsliding'.

Michel Barnier says further negotiations would be pointless if UK does not change stance says further negotiations would be pointless if UK does not change stance.

Michel Barnier tells EU ministers that British proposals so far aren't good enough.

Pessimism in London and Brussels over the prospect of a deal amid deadlock over state aid and fisheries.

Michel Barnier adviser Stefaan De Rynck warns that EU "will not tolerate any backsliding or half measures" on PM's Brexit deal.

The European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc will only give as much access to its single market to Britain after Brexit as is justified by London ensuring that EU rules and standards are preserved.

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said Britain must accept the realities of Brexit and it was the UK’s exit from the EU that had caused tensions between London and Brussels over Northern Ireland, not the divorce protocol.

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said Britain must accept the realities of Brexit and it was the UK’s exit from the EU that had caused tensions between London and Brussels over Northern Ireland, not the divorce protocol.

The next prime minister in the United Kingdom will fail in any attempt to renegotiate the Brexit deal, Michel Barnier has said before warning the new leader’s choice is to accept the agreement, cancel Brexit or suffer a damaging no deal. The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said that it would make no difference which of the leadership hopefuls eventually succeeded Theresa May.

Barnier pours scorn on PM’s Irish border proposal as it would not avoid customs and VAT checks post-Brexit.

"Nobody can be surprised. The British government decided to leave the EU, to leave the single market, to leave the customs union. That means mechanic consequences."

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier complained of lack of respect and engagement by UK

As the risk of a disorderly, ‘no deal’ Brexit rises, members of the Eurogroup for Animals Brexit & Animals Taskforce met in London to ensure that the welfare of animals would be safeguarded, whatever happens.

"Brexit is a historic mistake. It was pushed through by irresponsible nationalism, based on false promises and shortsightedness," declared Austrian MEP Andreas Schieder who helped prepare the vote. / "Brexit is bad for Britain and Brexit is bad for Europe," he said.

But EU warns ‘faithful implementation’ needed by UK amid concerns saga is not over.

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator rejected the U.K.’s latest proposals for financial firms to do business with the 27-nation bloc after Brexit, accusing Britain of trying to keep as many of the benefits of the single market as it can.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has told Boris Johnson to stop “pretending” he is negotiating a Brexit deal, amid concerns that the prime minister is not trying to reach an agreement.

Income per-head forecast to fall by 6 per cent – just 2 per cent less than under a no-deal departure.

Checks and controls on all UK exports to EU whether or not trade deal struck, says Brussels negotiator.

Lord Frost told the Conservative conference that the ‘long bad dream’ of our EU membership is over but his is just beginning.

Boris Johnson under ‘wrong impression that he can pull off negotiating at the 11th hour,’ says EU official.

British minister says North’s businesses won’t need exit summary declarations when they send goods to rest of the UK.

The challenge posed by Britain leaving the EU gave the European Commission an opportunity to embed its values and its members’ interests.

The course of Brexit was set in the hours and days after the 2016 referendum. / It was at 6:22 a.m. on June 24, 2016 — 59 minutes before the official tally was unveiled — that the European Council sent its first “lines to take” to the national governments that make up the EU.

The Irish Government believes the office would be a reflection of the EU's 'ongoing support' for the peace process.

Boris Johnson agreed in the final hours of the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations that there would be customs declarations on goods exiting Northern Ireland to Britain, despite the fact that just three weeks later he told businesses in the North there would be "no forms, no checks, no barriers of any kind…," according to a detailed new account of the protocol negotiations.

There remains “real incomprehension, in Britain, of the objective, sometimes mechanical consequences of its choices."

EU gives go-ahead to weekend meetings after PM appears to backtrack on customs stance.

Brussels suspicions come as European commission chief warns Britain to abide by Northern Ireland protocol.

French government wants stronger UK commitments on ‘level playing field’ with EU

French president says EU27 leaders need to know when UK’s lengthy exit will happen. / France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has said he wants to avoid Brexit “polluting” the EU after 31 October, and that European leaders need to know when the UK’s prolonged departure will come to an end.

Brussels’ former Brexit chief urges collaboration on shared challenges and reflects on tumultuous talks.

'Difficulties on the island of Ireland are caused by Brexit, not by the Protocol', UK told - ahead of crisis talks.

Key excerpts from the newly published diaries of the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator.

EU chief negotiator casts doubt on Boris Johnson's campaign pledge.

The EU's lead Brexit negotiator has rejected Boris Johnson's demands for the Irish backstop to be scrapped.

‘We’ve only been negotiating for nine months. We’ve needed at least five years for all the previous agreements’

Group of MEPs led by Guy Verhofstadt criticises ‘politicised language’ of Tory leadership.

EU chief negotiator blasts back at UK counterpart's letter.

Michel Barnier has schooled Brexiteer MP Mark Francois on the Withdrawal Agreement that he and his European Research Group (ERG) colleagues voted for, and told him that him there was no “added value” in leaving the EU.

Brexit negotiator links free-trade deal to workers’ rights and environmental protection.

EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier will visit Dublin on Monday for talks with Leo Varadkar. It is seen as a sign of solidarity for the Irish government ahead of an emergency EU summit in Brussels...

This evening, Michel Barnier said the EU was ready to offer Britain a unilateral exit from the customs union while maintaining the other elements of the backstop.

There remain "serious" differences between the UK and EU after the first round of trade talks, the bloc's chief negotiator has said.

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier has accused the UK of dragging its feet over post-Brexit negotiations, at the end of the second round of talks on the future relationship.

EU chief negotiator responds to PM’s claim that UK will now be free from Brussels regulations.

Brussels fears prime minister has ‘lost control’ of events and warns that hopes of an agreement are now ‘very low’.

Seven years on, I still believe Britain’s divorce from the EU is a negative — but we will spend more time thinking about future member states than former ones, writes Michel Barnier.

EU’s top negotiator tells MEPs Britain has not offered credible proposals for Irish border.

The EU's former chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, says changes the UK wants to make to the Northern Ireland protocol have caused him to lose trust because what is at stake is not goods or trade but peace.

The Northern Ireland secretary admitted that the Government was intending to break international law - specifically the EU Withdrawal Agreement, which sets out how Britain and the EU would agree new rules on trade between Britain and Northern Ireland.

Ministers are planning new legislation that would override a key part of last year's EU withdrawal agreement.

'I remain convinced that with mutual respect and constructive engagement by the #UK across the board, on all issues of the negotiating table, we can move forward in the limited available time.'

Michel Barnier spoke about his new book, "My Secret Brexit Diary: a glorious illusion". During the 1600 days of complex and often acrimonious Brexit negotiations, Michel Barnier kept a secret diary. He recorded his private hopes and fears, and gave a blow-by-blow account as the negotiations oscillated between consensus and disagreement, transparency and lies.

In June 2016, the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. As the EU’s chief negotiator, for four years Michel Barnier had a seat at the table as the two sides thrashed out what ‘Brexit’ would really mean. The result would change Britain and Europe forever.

The UK's chief Brexit negotiator has said the government is not "scared" of walking away from talks without a trade deal ready to come into force in 2021.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Boris Johnson not to break international law by attempting to redefine the terms of the protocol.

NICOLA Sturgeon has told leaders in Brussels that she will use the powers of Holyrood to ensure Scotland keeps a close relationship with the EU.

‘The UK has been taking three steps back from the original commitments,’ says EU negotiator.

Negotiations break up in familiar acrimony - forcing Boris Johnson to abandon deadline for breakthrough by end of July

Michel Barnier and David Frost will resume talks on Thursday via video call, after a fortnight of face-to-face meetings

Prime minister expected to press EU leaders to dedicate attention to faltering negotiations.

UK dismisses EU call for its trawlers to continue operating in UK waters.

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, was downbeat in his press conference after the conclusion of the talks.

The pound slid today after EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned that a trade deal between the EU and UK was slipping away.

It has now been three years since the UK exited Europe, but Michel Barnier, the man who helped broker the divorce for Europe, and the author of a new book ‘My Secret Brexit Diary’ – says there are still lessons to be learned from the whole experience.

The UK government’s latest moves to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol ride roughshod over international law and threaten the country’s reputation and relations abroad.

The UK’s Brexit Minister has written to the EU encouraging it to agree to ‘ring-fence’ the rights of Britons living abroad in the EU and EU citizens abroad in the UK – however contrary to some reports, the EU has issued no response to this as yet.

Warning comes as EU's chief negotiator says he is 'not optimistic' about avoiding a no-deal departure.

Economic hardship and war have not pushed Europe’s nations apart, but closer together.

When people voted for ‘Leave’ on 23 June 2016, nobody had been told – let alone asked – what Leave meant.

The EU fears that the UK government is deliberately stalling on Brexit trade deal negotiations, and may secretly be aiming to exit European trade arrangements without first agreeing a new deal.

EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has indicated he does not believe the UK will have enough time to approve Theresa May’s withdrawal deal by the scheduled exit date of March 29.

Brussels’ chief negotiator says talks often go backwards as UK fails to grasp EU red lines.

Revealed: EU chief negotiator’s diaries, The Great Illusion, give blow-by-blow account of moves behind UK’s departure.

The UK worries about being “trapped” in a backstop – but can’t present an alternative. / Toxic language is defining the Brexit debate. It is turning an intensely complex and complicated subject into something being argued over emotionally, certainly in the UK.

No-deal looms as deadline little more than a month away.

TWO-THIRDS of Scots want Brexit to be delayed, according to a new poll. With coronavirus engulfing the political machinery of the UK and the EU, Boris Johnson is coming under increasing pressure to extend the transition period beyond December this year.

The UK will have to "face the consequences" if it opts to leave without a deal, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator has said.

The British government has been accused of failing to protect the rights of British and EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit, as Michel Barnier reiterated that he would not renegotiate the agreement currently on the table.

Vote comes as bloc wields its powers to force change in UK domestic law during transition.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has accused the UK of "backtracking" on its commitments in the latest round of post-Brexit trade talks.

But EU warns UK does not understand position it has got itself into.

‘Clear link’ between UK’s exit from EU and shortage of truck drivers, says former negotiator

The UK government has confirmed to the EU it will enhance inspection posts at Northern Ireland's ports in order to deliver on the Brexit deal.

The EU's chief negotiator says the UK has yet to lay out its approach to implementing the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal.

He said the UK could not both refuse to extend the transitional period and slow down the progress of talks.

“We negotiated a trade deal and instead of eliminating barriers, they created them," Michel Barnier said.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has been told there is "significant opposition" to the United Kingdom Government's refusal to consider extending the timetable for talks.

Former terror law reviewer David Anderson warns of serious impact on fight against cross-border crime.

British officials preparing ‘domestic’ alternative to EU programme as Barnier accuses UK of ‘cherry-picking’.

EU chief negotiator says Boris Johnson’s negotiator has been disappointing

Britain and the European Union clashed on Thursday over the chances of securing a free trade agreement, with Brussels deeming it “unlikely” but London holding out hope one could be reached in September.

There are concerns in the EU that the UK had not yet fully complied with the terms of the earlier Brexit divorce deal and stressed that “vigilance” would be required in future. / “Exports to our biggest market, Ireland, have also dropped more than two thirds." - Dominic Goudie, FDF

United bloc will continue to protect its interests, say Michel Barnier and Leo Varadkar

Michel Barnier also accused Boris Johnson’s government of rowing back on commitments made in writing by Britain at the point before exit.

A post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the EU "seems unlikely" at this stage, the bloc's negotiator has said.

EU's chief negotiator blames UK for failure of progress in talks.

The European Commission president said there has been ‘some progress’ in talks to resolve the issues around Northern Ireland.

Theresa May returns to parliament today after a last ditch dash to Strasbourg to win fresh concessions on her deal. So will the deadlock finally be broken this week? Daniel Boffey in Brussels and Sonia Sodha in London explain how the process could now pan out.

The EU’s former Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the resignation of Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader “opens a new page” in UK-EU relations.

"Do not blame Brussels for our own country's mistakes and do not be angry at us for telling you the truth. Be angry at the chancers who sold you a lie," he said.

THE EU’s Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier has revealed the time he dedicated to understanding the people of Ireland as he conducted Brexit negotiations to strike the right trade deal for the EU and UK once the latter had exited the union.

‘Same significant divergences persist’, EU negotiator says – with just 35 days left to avert a crash-out.

The European Parliament has voted to ratify the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), with 660 out of 697 MEPs voting in favour of the deal, but a Brexit expert has said it is only the beginning.