The European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator has criticised Theresa May’s threatening tactics and warned the days of Britain cherry-picking its relationship with Brussels are over.
Guy Verhofstadt said the Prime Minister’s decision to suggest the UK would become a low-tax, low-regulation haven if the EU failed to agree a good exit deal was a counter-productive strategy.
He also called on Mrs May to listen to the concerns of the 48% of voters who backed Remain.
Mr Verhofstadt, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group, said: Britain has chosen a hard Brexit. May’s clarity is welcome but the days of UK cherry-picking and Europe a la carte are over.
Threatening to turn the UK into a deregulated tax heaven will not only hurt British people – it is a counter-productive negotiating tactic.
May must take the concerns of the 48 per cent on board.
Germany’s foreign minister welcomed Mrs May’s decision to give a bit more clarity about her ideas for Brexit as politicians across Europe considered her plans.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was hoping for constructive negotiations with the UK but stressed Berlin’s desire to maintain the unity of the European single market.
Chancellor Angela Merkel will chair a meeting of her cabinet’s Brexit committee on Wednesday as Berlin prepares its position for the forthcoming negotiations.
Mrs May’s plans involve leaving the single market but establishing a comprehensive free trade deal in its place, along with keeping some elements of the customs union without full membership.
Mr Steinmeier said: Almost seven months have now passed since the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. The British Government has still to formalise its desire to leave.
We therefore welcome the British Prime Minister’s speech today in which she outlined her Government’s ideas on the exit and finally created a bit more clarity about Britain’s plans.
She stressed that Britain is seeking a positive and constructive partnership, indeed a friendship, with a strong EU. That is good.
We, too, want relations that are as good and close as possible, and based on mutual trust. We are hoping for constructive negotiations to this end.
However, our stance is and will remain: the negotiations will not begin until Britain has officially informed the European Union of its desire to leave.
Tomorrow we will discuss in the Cabinet’s Brexit committee Germany’s position in the forthcoming negotiations.
It is in the interest of Germany and of Europe to strengthen the cohesion of the European Union of 27 member states and to maintain the unity of the European single market.
Other official reaction from Europe was relatively muted, with European Council president Donald Tusk saying only that the remaining 27 members now had a more realistic view of Britain’s goals and were united and ready to negotiate.
Some MEPs were more forthright, with German Green Jan Philipp Albrecht saying Mrs May’s message was Go f*** yourself EU but please don’t let us down.
Belgian socialist Kathleen Van Brempt tweeted: The European Union is not a menu where the UK can freely pick and choose to their liking.