Let's take future Britain-EU ties "step by step", Merkel says

German Chancellor Angela Merkel responded cautiously when asked if British prime ministers should in future be invited to European Union summits as part of a plan to repair ties damaged by Brexit, saying things should be taken "step by step". Merkel said that the immediate priority was to find a durable solution to the row over the status of Northern Ireland with respect to the EU single market and Ireland.

After that, she said, "we will see" where Britain-EU relations can develop to.