Summary

  • The EU's two-day summit in Brussels has concluded

  • If we're leaving with a Brexit deal this is it, Theresa May tells media

  • However, PM says there is still "work to do" to reassure MPs that the deal agreed with the EU "is possible"

  • EC president Donald Tusk has "no mandate to organise any further negotiations" but is "always at Theresa May’s disposal"

  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel says EU sees backstop as an "insurance policy" only; "no renegotiation" of Brexit agreement

  • European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker says EU is keen to get on with trade talks - which in theory could mean backstop not needed

  • French President Emmanuel Macron stresses that "there is one deal, the only one possible" on Brexit

  1. Press conference finishespublished at 13:30 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    After taking a number of questions from the floor, the UK PM's brief lunchtime press conference is over.

  2. May admits 'robust' talks with Junckerpublished at 13:28 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    Theresa May told the BBC: "I had a robust discussion with [EU Commission President] Jean-Claude Juncker."

    She was asked about a video in which she appears to be talking sternly to Mr Juncker.

    The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg asked her if she had accused him of calling her "nebulous".

    Mrs May said Mr Juncker told her that "when using that phrase he was talking about a general level of debate".

  3. May - "I never said it was going to be easy"published at 13:28 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    Theresa May

    "I've been clear there is a job to be done here" to deliver on the referendum result, says Mrs May.

    She adds: "I never said it was going to be easy."

    Mrs May says negotiations are tough, adding "as you get close to the end, it can get more difficult".

  4. Ministers 'voted against May'published at 13:26 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

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  5. Belgium to prepare for no-deal Brexitpublished at 13:25 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel says he is not encouraged by the Brexit talks and plans to prepare for all scenarios, including a no-deal Brexit.

    "The signs we heard yesterday were not especially reassuring as regards the UK's ability to honour the pledges made, so we'll ensure we prepare for all scenarios, including the no-deal scenario," he told reporters in Brussels.

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  6. 'Vote brought to parliament before 21 Jan'published at 13:25 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    Mrs May says parliament will be voting on the deal next month.

  7. 'Talks with MPs in coming days'published at 13:23 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    There will be talks in coming days with MPs to give them assurances they need, says May.

  8. May: If we're leaving with a deal this is itpublished at 13:21 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    If we are going to leave with a deal then "this is it", says Theresa May. She says this is her opinion as well as that of the EU.

    "It is in the overwhelming interest of all our people to get this done and as quickly as possible."

  9. Theresa May begins press conferencepublished at 13:19 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018
    Breaking

    The prime minister has started speaking at the media conference in Brussels.

  10. Waiting game for Maypublished at 13:15 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

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  11. No visa, but €7 charge to travel to EU countriespublished at 13:14 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    People on holidayImage source, Getty Images

    Britons will have to pay €7 (£6.30) every three years to travel to EU countries, as a consequence of Brexit.

    The European Commission has confirmed that while UK travellers will not need a visa, external, they will need to apply for and buy another document from 2021.

    It is called an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) and although not launched yet, is expected to come into force in 2021.

    The travel requirement is not just for the UK but for many non-EU countries.

    Read more here.

  12. Labour: Visa waiver 'caused by botched deal'published at 13:10 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    Labour says the visa waiver being brought in after Brexit is a "direct consequence of the government's botched Brexit deal".

    Shadow arts minister Kevin Brennan said: "These new restrictions on UK citizens visiting Europe after Brexit are a blow to the UK's tourism industry and a direct consequence of this Tory government's botched Brexit deal.

    "Despite Theresa May's promises that visa-free travel will continue after Brexit, it is now clear that UK travellers will need to pay and pre-register for a visa waiver to enter the EU after 2021.

    "This will have a direct effect on British families, holidaymakers, and those travelling for work. The government should listen to the tourism sector's warnings and urgently reconsider this disastrous Brexit deal.”

  13. 'EU toughens position'published at 13:06 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

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  14. Google searches for 'nebulous' on the risepublished at 13:02 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

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  15. Luxembourg PM blames UK MPspublished at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel defended Theresa May's efforts in the negotiations, but criticised UK MPs.

    “We had an honest exchange, we told her [Theresa May] that renegotiating the text is impossible," he told reporters.

    “Theresa May is clear, but the fact is Westminster is not clear... The problem is MPs in London. She did her work, did it well, did a good job… I think for internal political reasons in the UK some people are trying to gamble the relations of the EU and UK for the future."

    He said the Brexit withdrawal deal reached with Prime Minister May was "the best possible deal" and "no deal is a lose-lose situation”.

  16. 'Bleak midwinter for Parliament'published at 12:57 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    The Times

    Bruno Waterfield from The Times has what our correspondent Laura Kuenssberg calls "grim detail" , externalon what went wrong for Theresa May last night.

    They say that British negotiators had agreed a draft statement with senior EU officials that would have provided "political comfort" that the bloc was prepared to compromise on the backstop issue.

    But at a dinner in Brussels last night - held without the UK PM - European leaders went back on the joint agreement "to send a message to MPs that no further concessions would be forthcoming from Brussels".

    They quote a senior EU source as saying: "To use a Christmas theme, we want all parties and factions in the British parliament to feel the bleak midwinter."

    They said Dutch PM Mark Rutte argued that if the EU gave ground then Brexiteers would demand even more - and was backed by France, Denmark and Belgium.

    Read more here, external.

  17. 'Nebulous and imprecise': Is this what May and Juncker were saying?published at 12:54 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    The Sun

    According to The Sun, external, the conversation between May and Juncker earlier today was about him calling her "nebulous and imprecise".

    He apparently denied this, saying: "What? No I didn't, I didn't."

    Watch the video below again yourselves and make up your own minds...

  18. How could another referendum work?published at 12:52 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    Reality Check

    A man holding a poster calling for another voteImage source, Getty Images

    So Tony Blair has renewed his call for another referendum.

    The former Labour PM has also been speaking to the BBC's Today programme on the issue.

    But what if MPs did decide - as Mr Blair is calling for - to have another referendum to break the deadlock over Brexit?

    The Electoral Commission has told BBC News it has "contingency plans in place" and is ready "to respond quickly to any unscheduled poll".

    How could that work? The BBC's Reality Check team has been taking a look. Read more here.

  19. Tony Blair says May 'was not humiliated' by EUpublished at 12:49 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

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  20. Foster: PM must stand up to EU leaderspublished at 12:46 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2018

    DUP leader Arlene Foster has urged Theresa May to stand up to EU leaders and demand changes to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

    She's already vowed to vote against the draft treaty if the Irish border backstop issue isn't scrapped.

    Her party is opposed to the measure, which would see Northern Ireland adhere to an EU regulatory framework if there is no wider trade deal between the UK and the EU. The DUP believes such a measure would undermine the constitutional integrity of the UK by creating an economic border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

    Quote Message

    This is a difficulty of the prime minister's own making. A deal was signed off which the prime minister should have known would not gain the support of Parliament.

    Quote Message

    If the prime minister had listened to our warnings and stood by her public commitments, we would not be in this situation.

    Arlene Foster