World Bulletin / News Desk

British Prime Minister Theresa May will make an eagerly anticipated Brexit speech in Florence on Friday, seeking to unlock stalled negotiations with Brussels as well as quell divisions in her own cabinet.

A fourth round of talks with the European Commission are due to begin on September 25 and the question of Britain's financial settlement remains a significant stumbling block.

The lack of clarity was reinforced when May's foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, laid out his own vision for Brexit in a newspaper article widely viewed as an attempt to force his premier's hand.

A senior official in Brussels said there were "high expectations" for May's speech, both on the money and another blocked issue -- the rights of EU nationals living in Britain after Brexit.

Businesses are also watching closely. The head of the CBI lobby group of business leaders, Carolyn Fairbairn, warned the risks of leaving the EU without a deal felt "all too real".