Michel Barnier tears up Theresa May’s Brexit customs proposals
Michel Barnier has warned that attempts to appeal to EU leaders over his head were a waste of time, as he tore up Theresa May’s proposals on customs after Brexit, in effect killing off the Chequers plan.
Against a backdrop of British cabinet ministers travelling across Europe to persuade governments of the benefits of the proposals, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator insisted that there was no difference in opinion to exploit.
“Anyone who wants to find a sliver of difference between my mandate and what the heads of government say they want, are wasting their time, quite frankly,” he told reporters at a joint press conference with the new Brexit secretary, Dominic Raab, in Brussels.
The British negotiators have become increasingly frustrated with the EU’s attitude to ...