Brexit: EU’s Barnier says 25 per cent work still remains

EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said that around 25 per cent of work remains to be done on a pact covering UK withdrawal from the EU, including crucial issues such as management of the Ireland border.

“In terms of what has been agreed so far, it’s about 75 percent,” Barnier told French media.

Even if Britain and the EU were working towards a British exit from the EU taking place in March 2019, risks of failure remained as long as outstanding topics such as Ireland were unresolved, he said.

“There are always difficulties, and risks of a failure,” added Barnier.

Some in Britain want “what the English call cherry picking”, he said, adding that the reply to that was “No way”.