Economics

Bad-Tempered Brexit Talks Loom as May’s Demands Irk Europe

  • U.K.’s threats only hardening EU’s position, diplomats say
  • Britain’s financial contributions one of biggest hurdles

Clegg: U.K. Single-Market Plans a 'Logical Impossibility'

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U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s vision for Brexit is antagonizing European Union governments, raising the risk that negotiations deteriorate into a bust-up even worse than first expected.

May’s initial demands –- and warnings over what she will do with taxes or security if she doesn’t get her way -– are elevating the likelihood that the U.K. leaves the bloc in 2019 without an exit deal, let alone the sweeping trade pact it seeks, according to five Brussels-based diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity.