EU leaders unite over negotiation principles

EU leaders took just one minute to unanimously agree their stance on Brexit talks yesterday.

In a remarkable show of unity in Brussels, the heads of the remaining 27 states backed a set of tough negotiating principles, with securing the status of EU nationals their “number one priority” and Britain settling its exit bill a close second.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker also warned the UK is underestimating the “technical difficulties” of Brexit as the EU’s positions on security, defence, and tackling terrorism and international crime were also set in stone.

Controversially, a suggested veto for Spain on any future UK/EU agreements that involved Gibraltar was also agreed.

Mr Juncker challenged Theresa May to sign a ready-made text on affected citizens’ status, drafted by the European Commission and its chief negotiator Michel Barnier, but admitted he did not think she would.

He said: “I have the impression sometimes that our British friends, not all of them, do underestimate the technical difficulties we have to face.”

Speaking in Aberdeenshire yesterday, Prime Minister May remained bullish about the prospect of not securing a deal at all.

She said: “I have said no deal is better than a bad deal. But I have also said I am going to be in there negotiating for a good deal for Scotland and the rest of the UK as well.

“What is important is that at the point we leave, we know what the future arrangements will be.”

The Scottish Government’s Brexit Minister Michael Russell said: “No one should be remotely surprised at the unity of purpose shown by the other 27 EU members – or by the fact that they will seek to defend their own and the EU’s interests in the Brexit talks ahead.”