Senior Brexiteers absent from meeting with EU's chief negotiator

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator has hosted a meeting with a group of senior MPs - but it was avoided by prominent Leavers.

Michel Barnier held the "private discussion" with members of the Commons' Brexit select committee in Brussels on Monday.

A source told Paste BN the contents would be discussed by MPs ahead of an evidence hearing on the progress of Brexit talks on Wednesday.

Another said that "some of what they discussed might influence their thinking down the line".

But several notable Brexiteers did not attend the meeting, including Tory MPs Jacob Rees-Mogg and Peter Bone, and the DUP's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson.

Among those who did go was Craig Mackinlay, who said the trip "had the feel of groundhog day".

He claimed in an article for The Telegraph that Mr Barnier "re-stated his fears of the UK undertaking post-Brexit divergence", citing the potential for social, environmental and tax "dumping".

"The Empire is not for moving, Brexit in name only is the diet of the day, in case freedom looks too desirable to other recalcitrant (uncooperative) members," he added.

After the meeting, Mr Barnier hosted more talks with the leaders of 10 of England's biggest cities outside London.

The Core Cities group - representing areas such as Liverpool, Bristol and Newcastle - pressed for "a deal that helps the positive flow of trade and skilled people between cities post-Brexit".

It came as Mr Barnier's deputy, Sabine Weyand, met with Downing Street's chief Brexit sherpa, Olly Robbins.

Paste BN understands the pair were hammering out more detail on the transition period - amid a public clash over issues of sovereignty.

It prompted Mr Barnier to declare earlier this month that the so-called "implementation period" is "not a given".