‘EU’s door still open’

– French President Emmanuel Macron has said the door was “always open” for Britain to remain in the European Union (EU) despite Prime Minister Theresa May saying Brexit talks would begin next week.

The meeting in Paris followed the leaders’ remarkably different political fortunes in the past week, which saw Macron’s party headed for a massive parliamentary majority, while May lost her slim advantage in the House of Commons.

“Of course, the door is always open as long as the negotiations

Paris

on Brexit have not finished,” Macron said.

But he stressed that the British people had taken the sovereign decision to leave the 28-member bloc in their referendum a year ago, adding that the beginning of talks would be a milestone.

“Once it (the Brexit process) has started, we need to be collectively clear that it’s more difficult to reverse course,” he said at the Elysee Palace.

May stressed that she would stick to her timetable of starting Brexit discussions next week in Brussels. – AFP