Up to London how Brexit ends: Tusk

EU President Donald Tusk said yesterday that the outcome of fraught Brexit talks was "up to London" and that abandoning the EU divorce remained an option for the UK.

Brussels has stressed that Britain needs to offer more detailed proposals, particularly on the thorny issue of its divorce bill, if it wants to move talks on to the next phase, on Britain's future relationship with the bloc.

Tusk told the European Parliament that the European Union must stay united in talks or face "defeat", as British Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to contain divisions within her government and businesses grow increasingly worried about a so-called "hard Brexit" -- in which the UK crashes out of the bloc in March 2019 with no trade deal in place.

"The EU will be able to rise to every scenario as long as we are not divided," Tusk told MEPs in the eastern French city of Strasbourg.

"It is in fact up to London how this will end: with a good deal, no deal or no Brexit," he said, reiterating the controversial idea that the EU was open to Britain backtracking on its decision to leave the bloc.

European leaders gave the embattled May a helping hand at a summit on Friday by agreeing to start preparations for the next round of talks while stressing that not enough progress had been made.

EU officials say May's offer in a speech in Florence last month to maintain Britain's contributions for two years after Brexit to complete the current EU budget period.