Juncker wants me sacked to damage Brexit, claims Davis
Minister claims he is target of leaks as he raises hope of early deal on citizens’ rights
DAVID DAVIS, the Brexit Secretary, has claimed Jean-claude Juncker is trying to get him the sack by allowing negative briefings about him.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Davis also signalled that he hoped to be able to get an agreement as early as September on the status after Brexit of European Union nationals, and Britons living on mainland Europe.
During a visit to Thurrock, Essex, Mr Davis discussed the president of the European Commission’s behaviour, pointing to a highly critical briefing to a German newspaper after a dinner in 10 Downing St between Theresa May and Mr Juncker, two weeks ago.
It claimed that the Prime Minister was “not amused” by Mr Davis highlighting a legal challenge in the European courts against the Government over surveillance powers when he was a backbench MP.
The report said: “The visitors wondered whether Davis would still be in charge of the negotiations after the election.”
Mr Juncker’s aides were widely blamed for being behind the dinner party leak. Earlier this week Mr Juncker called the leaks about the dinner “a serious mistake”.
In his first major interview since the row, Mr Davis said the Commission president had learned from the experience.
He told this newspaper’s Chopper’s Election Podcast: “I think to be honest he has now learned his lesson – he is not going to be meddling in British politics any more or at least if he does he will get the same reaction.”
He added: “All these stories are briefing against me, trying to get me sacked – which, of course, is a compliment by the way.
“If they don’t want me across the table, there is a reason for that – it is in Britain’s interests, not theirs.”
Mr Davis said EU officials were trying to undermine him and the Prime Minister because they recognised that a big Conservative election win would help Britain’s negotiations to leave the EU.
Mr Juncker and his team would like to see the Tories “have difficulties back home”, he said, adding: “They understand that a vote for Theresa May reinforces her negotiating hand.
“One of the things that may have led to that briefing is the fact they know a big mandate from the British people is a big mandate in the negotiation and helps [us] and doesn’t help him.”
Mr Davis said that once these “opening skirmishes” were over with EU negotiators he would seek quick deals on areas of common ground, such as the status of EU citizens in the UK, and Britons in the EU.
He said: “We think this can be resolved very quickly. We want to be generous to European citizens, we want them to be generous to British citizens. I will want to talk to them very, very quickly about that.
“I see no reason why we can’t have an ‘in principle’ agreement straight away for EU nationals and British nationals abroad.
“Once it is agreed people can relax. We want people not to be anxious.”
Asked if a deal could be agreed in principle ahead of a formal treaty being signed as early as September, he said: “It is entirely possible.”
Thurrock is a heavily Brexit-supporting constituency and a three-way marginal between the Tories, Labour and Ukip.
The sitting Tory MP, Jackie Doyleprice, is hoping to increase her slender 536-vote majority.
On his visit, passers-by stopped Mr Davis to wish him well in the talks. He said: “Brexit galvanises people more than conventional politics does. I am finding about half a dozen times a day when I am out on the streets people walking up to me and saying ‘Mr Davis fantastic, good luck, we know it is difficult’. They are very sensible.
“They don’t say it is going to be an easy run. They know it is going to be a negotiation that will take a bit of toughness and negotiation which is why they voted for it. There will be tough times in this when it will look bleak. They know that.
“They know that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Sometimes you have to fight for it, sometimes there are setbacks.”
Speaking hours after The Telegraph disclosed details of a draft of Labour’s manifesto, Mr Davis said he felt “sorry” for the party’s leader Jeremy Corbyn and those around him.
He said: “I grew up in a Labour household – my mum, my dad, my stepfather always voted Labour throughout their entire lives.
“So there is a bit of me that feels sorry that here we have a group of people running the Labour Party who appear not to be able to do their homework, not to be able to add up, to be a shambles.”
Commenting on Labour’s pledges he said: “Electors are not fools – things have got to be paid for. Where is the money going to come from?
“Take the nationalisations alone – they will cost a small fortune – the Royal Mail, the train services. The truth is this is not a workable manifesto, it is a hark back to the past.”
Asked whether it was right for Labour to plan to increase income tax for those paid more than £80,000 a year, Mr Davis said: “It comes down to the question of ‘are you trying to get the most money or are you trying to punish people?’.
“Essex is famously an area that supported Margaret Thatcher in the past and what she demonstrated is that you can cut tax rates and actually the income goes up. You have got to be aware that sometimes if you put more taxes on people it doesn’t always deliver more money.”
Mrs May has said she would not increase VAT for the next five years but has failed to rule out raising tax for higher earners if the Conservatives win the election.
Mr Davis pointed to the Conservatives’ record in office since 2010. “We have taken millions out of tax altogether,” he said.
“So the history is we want less tax. Our century-long history is we are a low-tax party when we can be. Responsible first, low-tax and we believe in delivering decent public services.”
He added: “This is quite a personal election for Theresa. Part of the reason for that is people see in her the sort of person with common sense values, and a common sense approach to things like tax.
“One thing you can say is a Tory government will always tax you less than a Labour government – full stop.”
The Brexit Secretary added that a victory for Mrs May would be seen as an answer to the populism that is dominating Western politics.
He said: “Theresa May’s approach shows us that common sense, decency, a belief in our country and a belief in the values that all of Europe and the West stand for are a good answer to populism.
“And if we do well out of this, that is something we can hold up and say this is a template for other people to follow. That will be a really good civilised outcome for this election.”
‘They know a big mandate from the British people is a big mandate in the negotiation and helps [us]’