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Brexit: Barnier says deal will be 'difficult' but is 'still possible this week' – live news

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EU ministers in Luxembourg have just started a meeting of the general affairs council, the body that prepares the groundwork for the EU summit starting on Thursday.

EU Arauzo
(@EU_Arauzo)

General Affairs Council (Article 50) on #Brexit has started. @MichelBarnier is now informing the ministers of the state of play ahead of #EUCO pic.twitter.com/RhoNHuZZPZ


October 15, 2019

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, is briefing them on the progress in the Brexit talks. Speaking to reporters as he arrived, he gave a balanced assessment, saying an agreement this week was “difficult” but “still possible this week”. He said:


Our team are working hard … This work has been intense all over the weekend and yesterday because, even if the agreement will be difficult – more and more difficult, to be frank – it is still possible this week …

Reaching an agreement is still possible. Obviously any agreement must work for everyone, the whole of the United Kingdom and the whole of the European Union.

Let me add also that it is high time to turn good intentions into a legal text.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.15am: The Commons Brexit committee takes evidence from Northern Ireland specialists.

9.30am: Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee.

10am: Officials from the Jo Cox Foundation give evidence to the Commons home affairs committee on hate crime.

After 11.30am: The Queen’s speech debate resumes in the Commons, focusing on foreign affairs.

3pm: Andrea Leadsom, the business secretary, gives evidence to the Commons business committee.

3.15pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minster, gives her keynote speech at the end of the SNP conference in Aberdeen.

5.10pm: Press conference at end of EU general affairs council.

As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web, although mostly I will be focusing on Brexit. I plan to publish a summary when I wrap up.

You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.

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