The claim that David Davis and the UK failed to prepare properly erupted over a picture in Barnier's office tweeted on 17 July 2017, when negotiations finally started in Brussels after a ceremonial opening in June. That morning, the news website Euractiv wrote “there was fresh turmoil as a weakened Prime Minister Theresa May prepared to urge her warring ministers to end damaging leaks against each other over Brexit”. The omens for the rapid progress Barnier wanted were not good. Hammond insisted publicly that the UK had to ask for a transition period just before Davis, who was against that idea, started his conversation with Barnier. The plan was to have a closed-door chat before convening with the lead negotiators on all withdrawal topics. The meeting would be “1+2” in the jargon of diplomacy, two advisors for each principal. Olly Robbins and Tim Barrow participated, respectively the prime minister's Europe advisor and the UK ambassador to the EU. Barnier, his deputy Sabine Weyand and Stephanie Riso, director in his small team, each had a large, blue folder in front of them, bursting with papers. Barnier's logistics team diligently collected in these folders the two EU position papers on citizens’ rights and the financial settlement of a few weeks before, the mandate and guidelines adopted by the Council and European Council, various EU statements, Theresa May's notification letter and speeches. Davis, whom Barnier had to convince a few days earlier to come to Brussels to open the round of negotiations, came empty-handed. Barnier wanted to use the meeting to tell him that this Janus-faced approach of being negotiator without negotiating could not last. The British delegation had to solve their disagreements internally, he said, as the EU was ready to move forward and get Brexit done. Juncker's advisors wanted this story out of the way as much as possible to avoid distracting the EU from what it called a “positive agenda”.

Just before Commission protocol officials closed the door of Barnier's office, a UK communications advisor asked if the EU photographer could take another picture of Davis and Barnier sitting down at the oval, glass table.