Brexit talks being held up by absent British negotiating team, EU says

Brussels has accused Britain’s Brexit negotiation team of being responsible for a gaping hole in negotiations by not being available in Brussels when they are needed for meetings.

Despite intensive discussions being scheduled to take place this week – and looming deadlines and milestones – there are no talks scheduled for Wednesday, wiping out a quarter of the available time in this round.

A spokesperson for the European Commission attributed the gap in the schedule to the unavailability of the British negotiators, who he said were unavailable on this day – despite this being the final scheduled round before a crunch European Council meeting.

The spokesperson told reporters in Brussels that the EU’s teams were, by contrast, available for discussions “24/7” and ready to discuss Brexit at any time. The Brexit Department, which has been accused of working "part-time", said the programme had been mutually agreed and that the EU's claim was "simply incorrect".

Brexit Secretary David Davis did not travel to Brussels on Monday for a customary joint press conference to start the fifth negotiation round, which is taking place this week. British officials said he had parliamentary duties to attend to.

Though Mr Davis and Michel Barnier, the chief negotiator, often leave the detail of discussions to officials, Mr Davis’s absence on the first day was a new development not seen in previous rounds.

Mr Davis arrived in Brussels on the second day of talks, Tuesday, where he had a lunch with Mr Barnier. Officials said the meal, held at the British residence in Brussels, consisted of English and French wine, sea bass, and roast beef.

There is still no agreement between Britain and the EU on the three separation issues: the Northern Ireland border, the rights of EU citizens living in Britain, and the divorce bill. If there is not significant progress in talks this week the UK is set to miss the opportunity to move to trade talks at a European Council agreement later this month, adding further delays and increasing the chance of "no deal".

Asked why there were no talks scheduled for Wednesday the European Commission’s chief spokesperson, said: “Our teams are available 24/7 and I would say that the timing of talks depends on the availability of the UK partners.

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“I think that explains where we stand in terms of presence, who speaks to who, and how these negotiations progress.”

Asked about the same subject, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The point of Florence was to create momentum, and [the Prime Minister] thought the response from Europe had been constructive so far.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Exiting the EU said: “The programme was agreed between the UK and EU, and we kept Wednesday free from the outset to give us flex during the round for any technical talks, which are taking place tomorrow.

"The UK has always been available for that and it is simply incorrect to suggest otherwise."

The accusation by Brussels attracted derision for the British Government back in the UK.

“The Government should be pulling out all the stops to avoid a catastrophic Brexit," Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake said.

“Instead, with only 18 months of talks left, David Davis’ department seems to be working part-time.

“With each day bringing us closer to crashing out of the EU with no deal, it’s more important than ever we give the British people the chance to exit from Brexit.”