May to rescue?
After another round of Brexit talks ended in acrimony, the time could be ripe for national leaders to step in and break the deadlock. The question is whether Theresa May has the skills to do it . Colleagues and counterparts who have dealt with the prime minister over the years attest to her ability to be stubborn — “By God it was hard work,” former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said last year when asked about negotiating with her — but getting agreement will require flexibility as well as toughness. On Thursday the European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said the talks still had not progressed anywhere near enough for there to be a prospect of moving on to trade discussions after October. (His British counterpart, David Davis, was less pessimistic.) That prompted a drop in the pound and dismayed European officials. The European Parliament’s Brexit lead, Guy Verhofstadt, bemoans the British approach in the Telegraph today. The big sticking point is money — ho