Davis slammed for ‘skulking’ home after just 3hrs
BREXIT Secretary David Davis turned up to EU divorce talks without any briefing documents and “skulked” back home after just three hours.
Mr Davis sat opposite EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who piled a stack of files in front of him.
Jeremy Corbyn’s former spokesman Matt Zarb-Cousin mocked the minister, tweeting: “You don’t seem to have made any notes, David.” Mr Davis had said before the Brussels meeting: “For us, it’s incredibly important we now make good progress.”
But by mid-morning he was travelling back to London having shunted responsibility to officials.
A spokesman said that was always the plan. “Talks have now moved to technical working level discussions where over 90 UK officials will meet with their counterparts,” he said. He added that the minister would be kept updated throughout the week before going back to the Belgian capital for a joint press conference with Mr Barnier on Thursday.
But Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: “David Davis can hardly say this is the time ‘to get down to business’ and then spend only a few minutes in Brussels.”
Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: “We’ve got less than 20 months of Brexit talks left and David Davis has skulked back to the UK after just half a day’s work.
“He didn’t have any position papers with him because this Government has no agreed Brexit position.”
Meanwhile, the Lords EU Home Affairs sub-committee peers will warn today that Brexit will hamper police probes involving other EU nations.