UK government should take the lead on Brexit: Analyst

The UK government should take the lead on Brexit rather than allowing the European Union and those inside Britain who were opposed to last year’s EU referendum to set the agenda and “push Britain around,” says a British economic expert.

“We need the government to take the lead rather than allowing the European Union to be dominating the discussion and of course those who are wedded to the idea of keeping Britain subsumed within the European Union," said Robert Oulds Director of the Bruges Group, a think tank in the UK.

Those ideas are being pushed very strongly and the government really needs to take a stronger firmer hand against those who are trying to undermine the referendum,” Oulds told Press TV on Wednesday.

The analyst said it is “disappointing that this bill has been delayed and that progress isn’t being made as fast as possible, as well as there is some areas that the government is giving too much weight to the European Union.”

“The government needs to take the lead and stop the EU pushing Britain around,” he added.

European Union President Donald Tusk has warned Britain not to expect any breakthrough in Brexit negotiations at a EU summit this week, saying London needed to come up with more concrete proposals.

"I don't expect any kind of breakthrough tomorrow -- we have to work really hard in between October and December to finalize this so-called first phase and to start our negotiations on our future relations with the UK," Tusk said Wednesday.

Leaders of the other 27 EU member states meeting in Brussels this week are set to postpone until December a decision on whether enough progress has been made in Brexit talks to move on to discussing a future relationship between the EU and UK.

Fears are growing that London may fail to strike a withdrawal agreement with Brussels before its formal departure on March 29, 2019.

The UK had hoped the summit -- where British Prime Minister Theresa May will plead her case at a working dinner -- might clear the stalemate.

EU leaders have voiced frustration over what seems to be London’s reluctance to cover the expenses for its exit from the bloc. 

Meanwhile, UK’s main opposition Labour Party has accused the government of delaying debate of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, also known as the Brexit bill, which will end Britain's EU membership.

"This is further proof that the government's Brexit strategy is in paralysis," Labour's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said in a statement on Tuesday.

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