Britain won’t be bullied, Europe told
BRITAIN will not be “bullied” into changing its mind on leaving the European Union, senior Brexiteers have warned EU leaders.
In a letter to figures such as Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission’s president, members of the Leave Means Leave campaign accuse Brussels of making “far-fetched and hostile threats” during the Brexit negotiations, stating: “Britain will not be coerced into accepting a bad deal.” Citing a poll published in last week’s Sunday Telegraph, the heads of the campaign warn that “two thirds of our people believe that the EU is trying to ‘bully’ Britain into submission”, and aggressive moves by Brussels “only serve to harden the resolve of our people”.
Their intervention, ahead of talks between David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, and Michel Barnier, the EU’s negotiator, in Brussels tomor- row, came as the EU appeared to be softening its approach to its future relationship with Britain on security matters.
A draft legal text of the Brexit transition agreement suggests that British Armed Forces could be blocked from using the military applications of Europe’s Galileo satellite network after Brexit.
The text stated that the UK will be treated as an EU state except where this would “grant access to sensitive information” that a nonmember “is not to have knowledge of ”. But the draft guidelines for negotiations over the “end state” relationship, which the European Council is expected to approve this week, state: “In the fields of security, defence and foreign policy there should be no gap in the EUUK cooperation as a consequence of the UK withdrawal from the Union.”
The letter states: “The most common sentiment to be heard on the doorsteps of our country is ‘Why don’t they just get on with it’. Indeed, now is the time to get on with it and that means a sensible and fair implementation period – acceptable to our side as well as yours – preceded by a swift move to a free-trade agreement.”
‘Two thirds of our people believe the EU is trying to force us into submission’