'Keep calm and negotiate' - EU sees October 2018 Brexit deal

By Alastair Macdonald and Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's chief negotiator set a target of agreeing a Brexit deal with Britain by October 2018, assuming London keeps a promise to formally launch the process of leaving the EU by the end of March. Michel Barnier, at a news conference on Tuesday, said the two-year deadline for final withdrawal fixed in Article 50 of the EU treaty meant there would be less than 18 months for actual negotiations. British Prime Minister The