May 'double cherry-picking' on Brexit, says leaked EU report
The EU has dismissed Theresa May’s Brexit speech as being more about Conservative party management than putting forward sensible solutions on trade, according to an internal document leaked to the Guardian.
The Brussels analysis of the prime minister’s address, issued to representatives of all 27 member states, described her intervention as “a change in tone, but not in substance”, warning that all the UK’s red lines remained.
And while it said the prime minister had promised clarity on Britain’s hopes for a future trading relationship, it described the model she proposed as unworkable and “double cherry-picking”. It also claimed there had been “zero progress” when it came to ideas for customs cooperation.
“Like with PM May’s previous speeches, she addressed more her domestic audience, trying to bridge the gaps between the two poles of the debate on Brexit in the UK,” the paper concluded.
“While the speech was long on aspirations, it was short on workable solutions that would respect the EU27 principles.”
The document, drawn up by the council of the EU general secretariat, appears to be a “lines to take” paper to help secure a coordinated response to May in an attempt to maintain a united position.
But emerging on the eve of the European council’s planned publication of guidelines for a post-Brexit trade deal, expected to be as short and general as possible, it could raise tensions between the EU and UK.
A spokesman for the Department for Exiting the EU said it would not comment on leaks.
However, a Whitehall source condemned the document as a “highly misleading summary which was clearly prepared at pace, contains very poor analysis, and does not reflect the detailed conversations we are having with European partners”.
The Brussels analysis of the prime minister’s address, issued to representatives of all 27 member states, described her intervention as “a change in tone, but not in substance”, warning that all the UK’s red lines remained.
And while it said the prime minister had promised clarity on Britain’s hopes for a future trading relationship, it described the model she proposed as unworkable and “double cherry-picking”. It also claimed there had been “zero progress” when it came to ideas for customs cooperation.
“Like with PM May’s previous speeches, she addressed more her domestic audience, trying to bridge the gaps between the two poles of the debate on Brexit in the UK,” the paper concluded.
“While the speech was long on aspirations, it was short on workable solutions that would respect the EU27 principles.”
The document, drawn up by the council of the EU general secretariat, appears to be a “lines to take” paper to help secure a coordinated response to May in an attempt to maintain a united position.
But emerging on the eve of the European council’s planned publication of guidelines for a post-Brexit trade deal, expected to be as short and general as possible, it could raise tensions between the EU and UK.
A spokesman for the Department for Exiting the EU said it would not comment on leaks.
However, a Whitehall source condemned the document as a “highly misleading summary which was clearly prepared at pace, contains very poor analysis, and does not reflect the detailed conversations we are having with European partners”.
Source: theguardian
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