HOW BRUSSELS GANGED UP ON DAVIS
Damning show Juncker papers rubbishing UK’s Brexit chief from the very first talks
Brussels chief Jean-Claude Juncker has questioned David Davis’s work ethic in an extraordinary personal attack, it emerged yesterday. The european Commission president warned that questions over the Brexit secretary’s ‘stability and accountability’ risked ‘jeopardising’ talks.
Tensions were further raised yesterday when the eu accused Britain of ‘backtracking’ on its commitment to pay a controversial ‘divorce’ bill to Brussels.
Mr Juncker’s criticism was disclosed in minutes of a meeting in which Brussels’ chief negotiator Michel Barnier also poured scorn on Mr Davis.
After calling into question Mr Davis’s commitment to the talks, Mr Barnier expressed a desire to negotiate with a ‘stable, accountable and authorised interlocutor’.
The controversial exchanges – published yesterday – unfolded in July after the first round of talks.
At the time Mr Davis drew criticism for leaving Brussels after only two hours of negotiations. He has raised eyebrows with his lack of direct involvement in other talks.
At July’s meeting, Mr Barnier told eu commissioners that the Brexit secretary ‘did not regard his direct involvement in these negotiations as his priority’.
‘He observed that the united Kingdom had not yet really engaged in the negotiations or spelled out its positions,’ a record of the meeting said. Mr Barnier also questioned the impact of Mr Davis’s decision to delegate hands-on negotiating.
In response, Mr Juncker said he shared ‘concern about the question of the stability and accountability of the uK negotiator and his apparent lack of involvement’. He urged Mr Barnier to ‘remain firm’ by refusing talks with negotiators who had ‘no political mandate’.
eu commissioners expressed concern over the public’s ‘lack of understanding of the financial aspects of the uK’s withdrawal from the union’. Questions will be raised about the comments’ inclu- sion in the minutes, which are usually edited before publication.
The european Commission refused to say whether Mr Juncker still held the pessimistic view of Mr Davis, instead saying the comments were a ‘snapshot that was in July’. Mr Barnier appeared to row back from the hostile approach, insisting his relationship with the Brexit secretary was ‘cordial... and professional’.
He described Mr Davis’s decision to attend only opening and closing sessions of negotiating rounds as ‘perfectly logical’.
But Ashley Fox, leader of the Conservative MePs, said: ‘It is disappointing if senior figures in the Brexit process are resorting to character attacks.’
Tory MP Maria Caulfield said Mr Juncker ‘seems more interested in a public slagging match’ than working on Brexit.
Her colleague Jacob rees-Mogg said: ‘It shows the weakness of the commission’s position that Mr Barnier feels it necessary to minute his personal frustrations. It says more about him than the refreshingly robust David Davis.’
A spokesman for Mr Davis said he ‘has been fully engaged and involved throughout the negotiations’. British negotiators have rubbished the eu’s approach which means an initial agreement has to be made on the bill, Northern Ireland and citizens’ rights before trade talks can begin.
While agreement to start talks on a trade deal had been expected in October, recent clashes suggest it will be pushed back. Yesterday Mr Barnier accused the uK of ‘backtracking on the original commitment to honour its past commitments’ over the divorce bill.
The european Parliament called for a decision on the next phase of talks to be postponed as the uK had not put forward ‘concrete proposals’ – a claim rejected by First secretary of state Damian Green.
ex-european Council president Herman Van rompuy also criticised the uK. Asked if £50billion was a reasonable sum for the divorce bill, he said: ‘Compared to Britain’s GDP it is not that much.’
Brussels claims the uK’s plan for the Irish border after Brexit could unravel the peace process.
Talks centre on how to avoid a ‘hard’ border while respecting eu customs arrangements. Mr Barnier said the uK’s plan ‘worries me’, adding: ‘The uK wants to use Ireland as a kind of test case for the future eu-uK customs relations. This will not happen.’
‘Resorting to character attacks’