EU tells May: No free trade deal without open borders
HOSTILE EU leaders last night warned Theresa May that Britain must continue to let in hundreds of thousands of migrant workers every year if it wants access to the single market.
On day one of her first EU summit, the Prime Minister faced a barrage of demands from Eurocrats determined to preserve rules on free movement.
European Parliament president Martin Schulz told the assembled EU leaders he expected them to ‘stand firm’ in negotiations with Britain.
Turning up the rhetoric on free movement of workers, he warned: ‘I refuse to imagine a Europe where lorries and hedge funds are free to cross borders but citizens are not.’
He was backed by French president Francois Hollande, who said: ‘I have said it very clearly – if Madame Theresa May wants a hard Brexit, then talks will be hard too.’
The comments came ahead of a working dinner, when Britain was expected to be given only a short time to discuss the Brexit vote. During it Mrs May reiterated there would be no turning back on Brexit or a second referendum.
Many in Brussels are unhappy that Mrs May has said restoring control of Britain’s borders will be her priority in the Brexit talks. Currently, EU migration adds 180,000 people to the UK’s population every year.
German politician Mr Schulz told the summit: ‘From day one, the European Parliament must be fully involved in setting the new relationship between the EU and the UK – not least because it must give its consent to any withdrawal treaty and subsequent treaty setting out the full relationship.
‘Treating the European Parliament as an obstacle rather than a partner in this process would therefore be a serious mistake.’
Mr Schulz repeatedly warned Britain that, if it wants access to the single market, it must continue to leave its borders open.
‘The fundamental freedoms are inseparable, i.e. no freedom of movement for goods, capital and services, without free movement of persons,’ he said.
‘They [the UK] have decided to leave the single market and they want full access to the
‘I’m here with a clear message’
single market after leaving the European Union. That’s only possible by accepting the fundamental rules of the European Union.’
The comments came despite Eurocrats insisting that no talks on the detail of Brexit are allowed until the UK triggers Article 50 next year.
Last night Number 10 insisted it was relaxed about the remarks, with one senior official saying: ‘This does not change our approach’.
Tory MEP Syed Kamall, who leads the EU parliament’s European Conservatives and Reformists Group, said: ‘This is all posturing. EU leaders are blowing hard now but they’ll soon see sense when the detailed negotiations begin.’
On her way into the summit, Mrs May said: ‘I am here with a very clear message: the UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and we’ll be a strong and dependable partner after we’ve left.
‘It is in the interests of both the UK and the EU that we continue to work closely together including at this summit. We must show a robust and united European stance in the face of Russian aggression.
Mrs May also warned leaders that she would not accept decisions made without her at a summit in Bratislava last month. The other 27 EU leaders met to discuss the future of the bloc but she was not invited.
She said: ‘I accept the 27 need to meet but I want UK to play an active part otherwise it will be hard to accept things you agree.’
Earlier in the day, Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat said some EU states still believed Britain may not leave the EU.
He told the BBC: ‘I do think that some of us are keeping that option at the back of our mind.’
Jeremy Corbyn yesterday invited socialist leaders to a meeting in London next year to discuss an ‘alternative Brexit’.
But Tory MP Maria Caulfield said: ‘If Jeremy Corbyn was serious about making a success of leaving the EU he would get behind the Prime Minister’s negotiation – not try and talk Britain down from the sidelines.’