The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Leaving Europe will not be easy, Hollande warns May
Politics: Hard exit means hard negotiations, says French president
European leaders have warned Theresa May they will play hardball over Britain’s exit from the EU.
The UK will face “hard” negotiations if it wants to make a clean break with the bloc, the French president said as the prime minister arrived in Brussels for a summit.
And EU leaders were told to “stand firm” in their talks with Britain as Mrs May watched on.
The prime minister will attempt to ease the jitters
“European Parliament expects you to stand firm”
Brexit is causing across the bloc by insisting the UK does not want to damage the EU. ButFrancoisHollande issued a firm warning that Britain is facing a rocky ride as he arrived for the European Council. “I say very firmly, (if) Mrs May wants a hard Brexit, the negotiations wi l l be hard,” he said. And in the first forma l meeting the prime minister has attended in Brussels as premier, the president of the European Parliament made clear MEPs would not give the UK an easy ride.
Martin Schulz said: “I refuse to imagine a Europe where lorries and hedge funds are free to cross borders but citizens are not.”
He added: “An overwhelming majority in the European Parliament expects you to stand firm when designing the EU’s future relationship with the UK. The fundamental freedoms are inseparable – no freedom of movement for goods, capital and services, without free movement of persons.”
A No 10 source said the meeting was “constructive” and Mrs May had received a “good reception”.
MrsMay arrived in Brussels declaring she had “very clear message, which is the UK is leaving the EU but will continue to play a full role until we leave and will be a strong, independent partner after we have left”.
She added: “It’s in the interests of both the UK and the EU that we continue to work closely together.”
The prime minister has indicated that her priority for apost-Brexit deal iscontrol over immigration, which most observers believe will force the UK out of the Single Market.