Brexit secretary, David Davis, has succumbed to public scepticism in his management of the pending Brexit deal, following images of his empty handed appearance. The image garnered critical attention on Twitter with commentators reviewing Davis's calm demeanour; a sharp antithesis to the members of the EU board and their collection of notes preceding the Brexit discussion.

The secretary has vowed to execute "real progress" and examine the "subject of the matter" in the second series of talks. Nonetheless, the post-Brexit objectives to be discussed which prioritise citizen rights and economic autonomy have been severely contested due to their many discrepancies.

Theresa May's assurance regarding a 'settled status' proposal for Britain's 3.2 million EU immigrants has been eschewed by critics, as immigrants who leave the country for two years or more can be stripped of their 'settled status' citizenship guarantor.

Economic freedom

In regards to economic autonomy, an abundant display of negligence has been demonstrated with Theresa May's decision to leave the Euratom. The prime minister's imperative to leave the Euratom was reiterated in the Article 50 bill which should entirely come into effect in 2019, the estimated time whereby Britain would have left the EU.

Association with the Euratom is inextricably tied to the European Court of Justice, whose withdrawal Theresa May has strongly advocated as part of Brexit.

However, departing from the Euratom could have adverse consequences and postulates the question of how Britain will source nuclear fuel in later years. The potential shortage of nuclear fuel would irrefutably damage Britain economy with over 21% of UK electricity being nuclear.

Furthermore, in 2016 a transatlantic deal involving the transferral of 700 kilogrammes of weapons-grade Uranium from Scotland to the United States, in return for nuclear material supporting cancer research engendered multiple concerns about the safety of transferring nuclear waste.

The planned departure from the Euratom has doubled concerns within the scientific community with the loss of talented scientists from the EU, whose insight could help espouse new scientific advancements in Britain and garner more knowledge about different treatment services.

Tory rebellion

The Euratom conflict may evoke a Tory rebellion with nine Tory MPs being vehemently opposed to leaving the major nuclear agency.

The former conservative minister, Ed Vaizey paired up with Labour MP Rachel Reeves in an article for the Telegraph to underline the importance of sustaining a nuclear treaty with the EU. Moreover, the fractures within the Conservative Party over the Euratom will be exacerbated, if the party fails to secure a transnational deal in the upcoming Brexit discussions and could nullify May's new coalition with the DUP.

David Davis: The Tory "stooge"

In a stream of attacks, the Vote Leave campaign director Dominic Cummings labelled Davis as "thick as mince" and "lazy as a toad", asserting that his Great Repeal Bill will compel ministers to agree to EU demands at the final minute. The former advisor to Michael Gove branded those in favour of leaving the Euratom “morons” and condemned the "huge misjudgements" orchestrated by the Tory party in their approach to seeking alternative agreements.

Dominic Cummings polemically dissected Mr Davis dire participation within the Vote Leave campaign, inserting that he "spent the campaign boozing with [Nigel] Farage' and collaborated in the 'single crappest TV news for Leave of entire campaign."

A government with 'no papers' and 'no plan'

The brief duration of the Monday's talk assembled further criticism from the Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake, who argued, “We have less than twenty months of Brexit talks left, yet David Davis has skulked back to the UK after just half a day."

“He didn't have any position papers with him because this government has no agreed Brexit position. This is a government with no papers, no plan and no time for the most important negotiations of a lifetime."

The less than one hour talk in Brussels and 'friendly' chat with Michael Barnier signals a lackadaisical start from the Conservatives to Brexit talks. Davis's imperative for a 'calm and orderly exit' will have to abide by an elusive, whimsical future if he fails to step up to in depth Brexit negotiations, which will proceed throughout this week.