Brexit could be delayed for a YEAR: Brussels to stall if May pushes on with trade deals

Officials claim the EU will be forced to draft a new mandate for chief negotiator Michael Barnier if the British Prime Minister does not renege on her negotiating stance.

And sources claim authorities may decide to put the talks, which are due to begin on June 19, on hold while they restructure their plans. 

The revelations come amid growing impatience with the ‘shambolic’ state of the British side of talks.

The European Union had been planning to resolve the divorce bill, discuss citizens rights and resolve the issue about the border with Ireland first – before discussing trade. 

But one senior diplomat said he could not understand Britain’s claim that it would be able to hold the talks simultaneously.

And he warned: “If they don’t accept the phased negotiations then we will take a year to draw up a new set of negotiating guidelines for Barnier.”

The comments come just days after a controversial snap election, which saw a gamble by Theresa May backfire on a stunning scale as she lost MPs while Labour gained.

Now forced to form a minority government, the PM is trying to form a “confidence and supply” deal with Northern Ireland’s hardline DUP – but it could be days or even weeks before a government deal is agreed.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted after the election results, saying: “We don’t know when Brexit talks start. We know when they must end. Do your best to avoid a ‘no deal’ as result of ‘no negotiations.”

But it has now emerged that the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) sent a note to the European commission on Friday evening – signalling that pre-negotiation talks should begin this week.

Olly Robbins, Ms May’s EU adviser, said: “The prime minister has directed that the procedures for preparing the negotiations for the formal withdrawal from the European Union should start as soon as possible.”

Mr Juncker had privately been urging Mrs May to hold a general election for months, suggesting her 17-seat majority would not be enough during exit talks.

It is thought the EC President believed she would secure a big enough majority to free herself from hardline Brexiters – but was left dismayed by the result.

An EU source claimed Brussels had also been secretly briefing Downing Street on the 27 member states’ negotiating position for the past few months to allow the government to shape its response.

The source said: “They have had everything, sometimes before senior people here have seen the positions.

“Mrs May has known about the sequencing of talks since last September. None of this has been a surprise to her.”