British, EU leaders to meet as D-day looms

MAY TELLS LAWMAKERS REJECTING HER DEAL MEANS UNCERTAINTY

British Prime Minister Theresa May told skeptical lawmakers yesterday that rejecting her divorce deal with the European Union would mean uncertainty and division, before a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to help finalise the Brexit agreement.

The UK and the European Union agreed last week on a 585-page document sealing the terms of Britain’s departure, but are still working to nail down agreement on future relations before EU leaders meet in Brussels on Sunday to rubber-stamp the package.

But May is under intense pressure from pro-Brexit and pro-EU British lawmakers, with large numbers on both sides of the debate opposing the divorce deal. Brexiteers think it will leave the UK tied too closely to EU rules, while pro-Europeans say it will erect new barriers between Britain and the bloc, its neighbor and biggest trading partner.

May fended off a barrage of criticism from both opposition and government legislators yesterday during her weekly Commons question-and-answer session dominated by Brexit.

One lawmaker, Andrew Rosindell, urged her to ditch the plan and remove “the tentacles of the EU over our cherished island nation.”

May replied that “we want to ensure we continue to have a close trading relationship with the European union” after Brexit.

She said the alternative to the agreement was either “more uncertainty, more division or it could risk no Brexit at all.”

Unresolved aspects

As May flew to meet Juncker, some aspects of the future relationship agreement remained unresolved. Spain has said it will vote against if Gibraltar’s future isn’t considered a bilateral issue between Madrid and London.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday that his government “cannot accept that what will happen to Gibraltar in the future depends on negotiations between the UK and the EU.” But May reassured British lawmakers that “we will not exclude Gibraltar from our negotiations on the future relationship.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that she hoped Spanish reservations could be overcome before Sunday’s summit. But, she added, “I can’t say how we will solve this issue.”

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said yesterday the political declaration on future relations was “not there yet.” He said diplomats would meet on Friday to prepare Sunday’s summit, and “they will need to see a final text before then.”