Is the U.K. flunking the EU’s test?
Back in July the European Union gave the U.K. some holiday homework: clarify what you want from Brexit or risk stalling the talks. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government got busy scribbling essays, the latest of which is on data protection and comes out today. The problem, according to some Brexit watchers, is that despite the frenzy of activity the U.K. may have made the cardinal error of failing to answer the questions properly . For a lot of what May’s team have handed in is focused on future relations between the two economies, while the EU wanted insight into how to resolve differences over separation issues such as Ireland’s border and citizens’ rights. There has also been next to nothing said by London on the critical issue of a financial settlement — and the U.K. isn’t expected to give any detail on it next week when talks resume in Brussels. That means the EU may still feel the U.K. hasn’t done enough for its governments to green-light negotiations for a long