Britain and the European Union have taken their first steps toward negotiating a new free trade deal, staking out sharply divergent positions Monday that point to more fraught negotiations and another year of uncertainty for businesses.
Speaking less than three days after Britain left the European Union, the bloc's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, told reporters in Brussels that the United Kingdom can only avoid tariffs and quotas by agreeing to maintain open and fair competition with its largest export market.
