Theresa May is heading to Brussels on Monday for Brexit talks with European Union chiefs, Downing Street has said.
The Prime Minister will meet Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and chief negotiator Michel Barnier just days after they said exit negotiations were deadlocked.
May, who will be joined by Brexit Secretary David Davis, is expected to have discussions with European counterparts over the coming days ahead of a meeting of all EU leaders later in the week.
Downing Street sources insisted the meeting had “been in the diary for weeks” but it comes after last week’s negotiations ended with little movement.
Barnier raised concerns about a “disturbing” deadlock over the size of Britain’s “divorce bill” and said there had not been sufficient progress for him to be able to recommend moving on to the second phase of negotiations, covering trade.
Juncker said the Brexit process will take “longer than we initially thought”, blaming delays on Britain’s failure to settle its financial obligations.