EU rejects PM’s trade plan and warns UK about ‘negative economic consequences’
The European Union has rejected key elements of PM Theresa May’s vision for post-Brexit trade relationship, and warned that her choices will have “negative economic consequences” for the economy.
Prime Minister Theresa May has committed Britain to leaving the EU’s single market and customs union and ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
While presenting the new guidelines in Luxembourg today, the president of the European Council said that EU wanted an “ambitious and advanced” free trade agreement with zero tariffs on goods.
The chairman of EU leaders, Donald Tusk, also insisted the EU “does not want to build a wall”, but “because of Brexit, we will be drifting apart”.
Tusk told media: “One thing must be absolutely clear, and I’m not sure that we are on the same position here: there is no possibility to have some sort of exclusive form of single market for some part of our economies. I hope that during our negotiations and debates among the 27 EU leaders that we will make my position more clear for our partners in London.
“I fully understand and respect Theresa May’s political objective: to demonstrate, at any price, that Brexit could be a success and is the right choice. But sorry, it is not our objective.”
A Downing Street spokesman told Sky News that the guidelines were a draft version, which had not been formally published.
“We look forward to seeing the final guidelines when published and hope they will provide the flexibility to allow the EU to think creatively and imaginatively about our future economic partnership,” they said.
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