‘EUROPE STANDS WITH IRELAND ON BREXIT’

Juncker message over border

EU member states “stand firm and united when it comes to Ireland”, the European Commission president said yesterday.

Jean-claude Juncker added things “cannot remain as they are” for the UK’S relationship with the EU after it leaves.

Addressing the European Parliament, he was cheered by Eurosceptic MEPS as he noted the UK’S departure was due on March 29, 2019.

Responding to their applause, Mr Juncker said the time would come “when you will regret your decision”.

But former Ukip leader Nigel Farage claimed the European Commission was seeking to “bully” the UK and suggested Theresa May should back a departure from the bloc without a transition deal.

In a message to Mrs May ahead of next week’s European Council summit, Mr Juncker said the EU needed “more clarity on how the UK sees its future relationship”. He added “cherry-picking is not going to be possible” in the future trade relationship between the UK and EU.

Mr Juncker said: “I would rather have preferred Britain not to have decided to leave the European Union, but anyone who leaves the European Union has to know, frankly, what this means.

“If you decide to jettison, leave behind, the common agreements and rules, then you have to accept that things cannot remain as they are.”

Mr Juncker added the controversial “backstop” proposal for dealing with the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic “translates faithfully” the agreement reached between Mrs May and the EU in December.

He said the EU was ready to work with the UK on its preferred option of the border issue being resolved in the future trade deal, or by other specific measures.