Former top diplomat says Brexit talks ‘have not started well’

Brexit talks have not got off to a "particularly promising start", according to a former head of the diplomatic service.

Sir Simon Fraser, who was the chief mandarin at the Foreign Office until 2015, said splits in the Cabinet meant it was hard for the Government to have a clear position.

Sir Simon claimed the UK had been "a bit absent" from the negotiations with Brussels.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokesman said Number 10 "disagrees strongly" with Sir Simon’s comments, adding talks have been "constructive" so far and "important progress" has been made.

Much of the debate on Brexit in recent weeks has shifted to what a transitional phase before the EU divorce takes full effect should look like.

Sir Simon said such an arrangement would be vital because there is "no way" a deal on Britain’s future relationship with the EU will be finalised by the current deadline of March 2019.

Sir Simon, who now advises businesses on Brexit and foreign policy, said: "The negotiations have only just begun, I don’t think they have begun particularly promisingly, frankly, on the British side.

"We haven’t put forward a lot because, as we know, there are differences within the Cabinet about the sort of Brexit that we are heading for and until those differences are further resolved I think it’s very difficult for us to have a clear position."

There are reports the Government is set to publish further "position papers" laying out its views on customs arrangements and the Northern Irish border soon, something Sir Simon said would help show the UK team, led by Brexit Secretary David Davis, is "ready to engage".

"I think so far we haven’t put much on the table apart from something on the status of nationals, so we are a bit absent from the formal negotiation," he told Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4.

"I think we need to demonstrate that we are ready to engage on the substance so that people can understand what is really at stake here and what the options are."

A key issue that will need to be resolved in the negotiations is Brussels’ demand Britain pays a so-called "divorce bill" as part of severing ties with the bloc.

Many Conservative Eurosceptics have insisted the UK should not pay a penny, following a report the Government could be prepared to offer £36bn as part of the deal.

The Sunday Telegraph said the Government will only agree to fork out the sum if the EU treats it as part of a deal on future relations.

The EU maintains that talks on trade cannot get under way until sufficient progress has been made on the financial settlement, citizens’ rights and Northern Ireland.

But a senior Government source told Sky News the report was "not correct at all."

Mrs May’s spokesman maintained this line on Monday, telling a regular Westminster briefing the Government "does not recognise" the sum.

(c) Sky News 2017: Former top diplomat says Brexit talks ‘have not started well’