NO-ONE HAS ANY REASON TO BE HAPPY
With Brexit deal close to being sealed, EU warns...
DONALD Tusk said “noone has reasons to be happy” as he recommended the EU approves the Brexit deal.
The European Council president will meet Theresa May in Brussels today alongside European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker before a summit of EU leaders.
Member states are expected to endorse the deal.
A crisis was averted after Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to boycott the European Council meeting over the status of Gibraltar.
He dropped the threat after receiving guarantees about Spain’s role in the future of the British territory.
In a letter to EU members, Mr Tusk said: “I will recommend that we approve on Sunday the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.
“No-one has reasons to be happy. But at least at this critical time, the
EU27 has passed the test of unity and solidarity.”
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson caused a stir after he made a guest appearance at the Democratic Unionist Party conference.
He launched a rant against Ms May’s “humiliating” Brexit deal, comparing it to the Titanic and insisting Britain must not pay the
£39billion divorce bill.
The Tory MP suggested half the bill should be withheld until after a free trade agreement is settled in 2020.
Mr Johnson warned Britain would become a “satellite state” of the EU unless it “junks” the Brexit plan.
He said “the Titanic springs to mind” before adding: “Now is the time to point out the iceberg ahead.
“We are on the verge of making a historic mistake.”
Parliament will still have to pass the deal through the Commons. Chancellor Philip Hammond warned a rejection will lead to “economic chaos”.
He said: “If the meaningful vote is lost we are in uncharted territory.
“We will be faced with potential economic chaos. I am sure we would get a very negative reaction from the business community, from investors, from the markets.”
“We might end up with no deal, we might end up with no Brexit.”
DUP leader Arlene Foster said Mrs May’s deal would be a worse outcome than a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn.