A former top British diplomat has said Britain's negotiations over leaving the European Union have not begun well due to infighting among Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet over the kind of deal they are seeking.
Simon Fraser, who until 2015 was the most senior civil servant at Britain's Foreign Office and the head of the UK Diplomatic Service, said the UK government needed to put forward a clearer position.
Since Mrs May lost her parliamentary majority in the June election, infighting between members of her cabinet has broken into the open.
Mr Fraser, who also formerly served as chief of staff to the European Trade Commissioner in Brussels, said: "The negotiations have only just begun, I don't think they have begun particularly promisingly, frankly, on the British side.
"We haven't put forward a lot because, as we know, there are differences within the cabinet about the sort of Brexit that we are heading for and until those differences are further resolved I think it's very difficult for us to have a clear position," he told BBC Radio.
A spokesman for Mrs May said the government disagree strongly with comments suggesting Brexit talks have started badly, adding they believe talks have been constructive so far.
"The last two months we've had a constructive start to the negotiations, we've covered a significant amount of important ground," the spokesman said.
He added that they are not willing to provide a running commentary on negotiations with the EU.
In the first full round of Brexit talks last month there was little compromise between British and EU negotiators on key disputes.
Mr Fraser, who now advises businesses on Brexit, said: "So far we haven't put much on the table apart from something on the status of nationals, so we are a bit absent from the formal negotiation."
"We need to demonstrate that we are ready to engage on the substance so that people can understand what is really at stake here and what the options are, so let's move forward with that," he added.
A spokesman for Mrs May said they disagree strongly with comments suggesting Brexit talks have started badly, adding they believe talks have been constructive so far.
The spokesman said they are not willing to provide a running commentary on negotiations with the EU.
