Brexit talks will 'FALL APART' as structure means they are DOOMED, ex-BoE expert claims
BREXIT negotiations between the United Kingdom and Brussels could break down "at any time" because they have been planned to fail, claimed former Bank of England policy maker DeAnne Julius.
DeAnne Julius: Brexit negotiations could fall apart at any time
Ms Julius said there is no certainty Brexit negotiations will succeed because of the way have been planned.
She told CNBC: "I think the structure of these negotiations is actually stacked against a successful outcome.
"On the one hand, Theresa May has to keep her party intact and on the other hand, Barnier has no mandate to go beyond what’s already been agreed with the 27 countries behind him.
"He cannot be flexible without going back through a long political process. She can’t be too flexible or too specific about what’s needed because she’ got to balance all these competing interests behind her."
Ms Julius, who helped found the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, said that the lack of flexibility on both sides increased the chances of the Brexit talks coming to a premature end.
She added that the key issue areas identified by the European Union – the Brexit bill owed by the UK, EU-UK citizens' rights and the Irish border – add to the risk of an unsuccessful result.
She continued: "Having the precondition of the three areas that the EU has said need to be sorted before we get on to the interesting part about trade means that the negotiations could fall apart at any time because some of them are win-lose, not win-win.
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"That's not how you start a successful negotiation, you don't start with the win-lose issues."
Brexit secretary David Davis announced that the sides were "making decisive steps forward" during a live press conference at the end of the fourth round of talks with EU counterpart Michel Barnier in Brussels.
He said: "Thanks to the constructive and determined manner in which both sides have conducted these negotiations, we are making decisive steps forward.
"After four rounds, when I look at the full range of issues to do with our withdrawal from the EU, I'm clear we've made considerable progress on the issues that matter: increasing certainty for citizens and businesses, providing reassurance to our EU partners in regards to our mutual financial obligations and agreeing to some of the key principles in relation to issues arising in Northern Ireland and Ireland."