The EU has dismissed Theresa May’s vision for a post-Brexit trade relationship, laying out instead the offer of a deal that it concedes will be economically damaging to both the UK and the rest of Europe.
Unveiling the union’s guidelines on the future relationship, the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, said it was “simply not in our interests” to give way to the prime minister’s “pick and mix” approach.
“I fully understand and respect Theresa May’s political objectives to demonstrate at any price that Brexit will be a success and was the right choice”, he said. “I’m sorry, this is not our objective …
“No member state is free to pick only those sectors of the single market it likes, nor to accept the role of the ECJ only when it suits their interest. By the same token, a pick-and-mix approach for a non-member state is out of the question.”
Speaking during a visit to Luxembourg, Tusk said in response to the reiteration in May’s Mansion House speech of her desire to leave the single market, customs union and jurisdiction of the European court of justice: “Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the only remaining possible model is a free trade agreement.
“I hope that it will be ambitious and advanced – and we will do our best, as we did with other partners, such as Canada recently – but anyway it will only be a trade agreement.”
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