Deals blow to PM’s parallel Brexit talks
The leader of the EPP group of centre-right MEPs, Germany’s Manfred Weber, said Britain had to accept that the EU would take a “tough negotiating position”.
The UK could not simply pick and choose areas such as security, scientific collaboration and free trade where it wanted to co-operate with the remaining 27 member states, he said.
“I feel London thinks it will find the perfect deal and will take the positive points and leave the negative points,” said Mr Weber. “This will not happen. Cherry-picking will not happen.
“A state outside the EU cannot have the same or better conditions than a state inside the EU.”
Italian socialist group leader Gianni Pittella insisted the European Parliament would be ready to veto a Brexit deal if the conditions of its resolution were not respected.
And in a direct message to Conservative Brexiteers, he said: “You wanted to take back control, but
Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder predicted that voters will give a negative verdict on Mrs May’s handling of Brexit at the May 4 local elections and the parliamentary byelection being held on the same day.
Ms Bearder told the European Parliament: “Sixteen million Brits did not say they wanted to leave the European family. Those who did won’t be fooled again by the false promises from nationalists.
“This month of May, the British people will send a message to Mrs May in local elections and the Westminster seat of Manchester Gorton. That message reads loud and clear ‘You lied to us, we are angry and we want our country back. It belongs inside the European Union’.”
Scottish National Party MEP Alyn Smith said: “I’m heartbroken, not for myself but for the people I serve and future generations.
“Scotland will not be silent in this process as our rights are taken away by an administration we do not support, a vote that we clearly rejected