Davis: UK will still fund Europol

BRITAIN will continue to pay to remain a part of Europol, as part of a new security treaty with the EU after Brexit, David Davis has announced.

The Brexit Secretary said security links should be secured with a new legal pact to make sure the fight against terror continued unhindered after March 2019.

Theresa May has been accused of using Britain’s world leading police and intelligence services as leverage in the negotiations. In her letter triggering Article 50 in March, she warned of a “weakened” security regime if Britain left the EU without a Brexit deal. The Government’s position has since shifted, with Mr Davis and Home Secretary Amber Rudd leaving no doubt that security co-operation would continue.

The EU has refused to discuss Europol, which exchanges crime and counter-terrorism information and intelligence, until it judges that “sufficient progress” has been made on the financial settlement, Ireland and citizen’s rights after Brexit. Nevertheless, Mr Davis has drawn up proposals for a treaty to give legal backing to intelligence, law enforcement and criminal justice partnerships after Brexit.

Mr Davis said: “Effective international cooperation is absolutely crucial for both the UK and the EU if we are to keep our citizens safe and bring criminals to justice. We have a deep level of collaboration with the EU on security matters and it is in both our interests to find ways to maintain it.”

In a future partnership paper released this week, Mr Davis will say the UK and the EU would both benefit from making sure that there are no holes in operational ties when Britain exits the bloc.