LONDON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- British Brexit Secretary David Davis made a plea Tuesday to the leaders of European member states to mandate their chief negotiator Michel Barnier to move towards discussing Britain's deal for leaving the European Union.
Davis' plea came as he updated the House of Commons on the progress being made in latest round of negotiations with Brussels, after the Monday night meeting between British Prime Minister Theresa May and the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
Davis told MPs: "At the European Council later this week, I hope the leaders of the 27 will recognize the progress made and provide Barnier with the mandate to build on the momentum and spirit of cooperation we now have. Doing so will allow us to best achieve our joint objectives and move towards a deal that works for both the UK and the EU."
Labor's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer accused Davis of failing to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation, calling on flexibility from both sides in the negotiations.
"Every passing week without progress on transitional arrangements make things worse, not better," he said. Starmer also said people who talk of "no deal" as an outcome between Britain and the EU were fantasists and fanatics
Davis said in his statement there has been much discussion of what would constitute sufficient progress in the negotiations.
He said: "Negotiations require both parties to not just engage constructively but also to develop their positions in advance."
Davis said "we are ready to move these negotiations on".
Acknowledging that negotiations have at times been tough, Davis said both negotiating teams have continued to work constructively together.
"There is still some way to go to secure a new partnership, but I am confident we are on the right path," added Davis.
He told MPs: "Our aim remains to provide as much certainty as possible to businesses and citizens on both sides. I have made no secret of the fact that to fully provide that certainty we must be able to talk about the future. We all have to recognize that we are reaching the limits of what we can achieve without consideration of the future relationship."
Political commentators said despite progress being made during negotiations, the divorce bill settlement the EU wants from Britain remains a key stumbling block.
Davis told MPs that Britain has made it clear that a process of agreeing specific commitments can only come later. The EU want to know how much Britain will pay before talks of a future trade relationship can start.
