Barnier terror claim

Speaking to a security conference in Berlin, Mr Barnier said that the Brexit vote came “after a series of attacks on European soil … six months after the French minister of defence issued a call for solidarity”.

He added: “Rather than stay shoulder to shoulder with the Union, the British chose to be on their own again.”

With days left for a breakthrough in Brexit talks before an EU summit in December, Mr Barnier warned that there must be “no horse-trading” with the security of Europe’s citizens as a result of Brexit.

He set out the EU’S hopes for a “broad, beneficial and balanced” post-brexit security relationship, under which the UK will be able voluntarily to participate in European missions and operations, joint armaments programmes and exchanges on intelligence and cyber-warfare.

But he made clear that the UK will lose “levers for wielding influence” over European security, with no right to take part in meetings of defence ministers and ambassadors, no ability to take commanding roles in Eu-led operations and no membership of the European Defence Agency or law enforcement agency Europol.