Javid slams EC on security deal
THE Home Secretary blasted the European Commission yesterday for potentially putting people’s lives at risk by taking a hard line over a future post-Brexit security deal with Britain.
Calling Brussels’ approach “wrong and reckless”, Sajid Javid said the EU’s united front was being undermined by the commission’s insistence that Britain is treated as a so-called third party, instead of a trusted security partner.
The Government is seeking a bespoke deal with the EU on security co-operation. Mr Javid has laid out a new anti-terror strategy which includes MI5 passing information on people of interest to other agencies, including town halls.
Mr Javid said that all the European counterparts he had met so far were in favour of continuing, and even deepening, links with the UK on counter-terrorism and law enforcement.
He said: “There’s not going to be a single European interior minister that would want to explain after an attack, how it could have been stopped if the British had still been involved.”
Experts have highlighted the role played by the European Arrest Warrant – a framework to speed up the extradition of individuals between member states; the Second Generation Schengen Information System – a database of real time alerts; Europol – the EU’s law enforcement agency; and the European Criminal Records Information System.
A deal blueprint by the UK published last year called for a “comprehensive” framework to be underpinned by a new treaty.