But the situation is very different from 12 months ago when the Brexiteers were riding high, with Prime Minister Theresa May's entire approach called into question after a disastrous election performance on June 8.
A spokesman for the Department for Exiting the European said: "We believe that the withdrawal process can not be concluded without the future relationship also being taken into account".
For that reason, Brussels wants as a priority to guarantee rights for 3 million European Union citizens in Britain and be paid tens of billions of euros it says London will owe on its departure.
Talks on Britain leaving the European Union began Monday with both sides saying they will focus first on an orderly withdrawal: a deal for citizens living in each other's territory, border arrangements between Ireland and the United Kingdom and the amount that Britain will pay to get out of previous EU commitments.
"We want both sides to emerge strong and prosperous, capable of projecting our shared European values, leading in the world, and demonstrating our resolve to protect the security of our citizens".
Mr Startmer added: "I think the prime minister has got us into a complete mess".
"It's a statement of common sense that if we are going to radically change the way we work together, we need to get there via a slope, not a cliff edge", he said.
But the government still wants to negotiate its future trade relationship with the European Union "alongside" talks on the terms for Brexit. He said he views the talks with "informed optimism". Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said: "If we don't succeed, both sides will lose".
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May's election debacle has revived feuding over Europe among Conservatives that her predecessor David Cameron hoped to end by calling the referendum and leaves European Union leaders unclear on her plan for a "global Britain" which a lot of them regard as pure folly.
The Brexit Secretary was greeted by the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier as hte pair went face to face in the official talks for the first time.
Monday's talks however are likely to focus on the practical details of timings for the coming months, with the big, divisive issues left aside for now, officials said.
The first round of talks will set the agenda for the next 18 months as Britain and Europe wrestle with the future. "We keep hearing only what they don't want, but we don't have any picture of what future relations will look like". They should finally tell us what the aim is.
"The most important thing for us is to look to the horizon, raise our eyes to the horizon".
Britain is due to leave the European Union at midnight Brussels time (11pm in the UK) on March 29 2019 - unless an extension is agreed by all 27 remaining member states - with or without an agreement.
The EU says Britain can't leave without settling its bill, paying up for all its commitments that are still ongoing, including projects that might reach into the next decade, as well as the U.K.'s share of EU staff pensions.
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