Britain and the European Union started formal talks on the UK's departure from the EU on Monday, with the British government still wracked by internal disagreement over what kind of deal to seek.

David Davies, the UK secretary of state for exiting the European Union, began the process with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his aides.

The system worked out by both sides calls for a monthly cycle - two weeks of officials laying out that month's negotiating points, followed by a week's bargaining between Davies and Barnier. The fourth week will allow both sides to brief their respective governments - 27 in the case of the EU - before moving on to the next item.