UK

Michel Barnier trying to punish Britain says German MEP

A German MEP says he hopes Britain's leaders will ask voters to rethink Brexit
A German MEP says he hopes Britain's leaders will ask voters to rethink Brexit A German MEP says he hopes Britain's leaders will ask voters to rethink Brexit

A GERMAN MEP has accused the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier of trying to "punish" Britain, as the latest round of Brexit talks entered their third day in Brussels.

Hans-Olaf Henkel said Mr Barnier and the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt want to make sure the experience of withdrawal is such a "catastrophe" for the UK that no other country will follow it out of the EU.

Mr Henkel urged the UK to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice over civil nuclear issues to be able to remain in Euratom, and said he still hoped Britain's political leaders might be ready to ask voters to think again about the "colossal mistake" of Brexit.

Euratom has been a key issue on the table in Brussels this week, along with the future status of EU nationals in the UK, borders and the Brexit "divorce bill".

The financial settlement emerged as the major battleground on day two of the second round of formal exit negotiations, with Brussels thought to be demanding tens of billions of pounds but unwilling to set an exact figure.

It is understood that Britain will not agree a final figure for the so-called Brexit divorce bill until the 11th hour of its withdrawal process from the EU.

There was frustration on both sides, with the EU irritated that the UK has not set out a clear position on what it believes are its financial obligations that will continue for a limited time after leaving the bloc.

Brexit Secretary David Davis has been in close touch with the UK team ahead of his return to Brussels on Thursday and a potential press conference with Mr Barnier.

Mr Henkel, a member of the small Liberal Conservative Reformers (LKR) party, who is deputy chairman of the Tories' European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) grouping in the European Parliament, said the EU must "accommodate" the UK, but warned it would require "give and take on both sides".

Writing in The Times, he urged fellow MEPs not to listen to Mr Verhofstadt or Mr Barnier, who "want to make a mess out of this whole unhappy situation".

Describing Mr Verhofstadt as "an ambitious politician who wants to achieve a United States of Europe", Mr Henkel said the Belgian former prime minister's attitude paved the way for the "disaster" of Brexit by allowing British Eurosceptics to whip up anti-EU sentiment.

"Mr Verhofstadt now wants to punish the British, full stop," said the German MEP. "He says he doesn't want to, but I'm afraid he does. My impression is that Mr Barnier wants to do the same.

"The reason is simple. They would seek to make sure that Brexit is such a catastrophe that no country dares to take the step of leaving the EU again.

"This is a terrible situation for us all.

"My position is that the EU must accommodate the British. It will require give and take on both sides. For you, it will mean paying in and abiding by the rules, as Britain does now, and accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice when it comes to overseeing Euratom."

He added: "Is it too much to hope that leaders of stature in the UK might say to people that, when it comes to Euratom, they got it wrong? And who knows, as we all face the disaster of Brexit, perhaps when it comes to EU membership itself, tell the British people, 'We've all made a colossal mistake'?"

In Brussels, Brexit talks were resuming, with the focus switching mainly to citizens' rights.

The government has called for a swift agreement on protections for EU nationals who have set up home in Britain and vice versa.

It is believed that negotiators have found common positions in the talks so far on the issue, despite the EU's insistence that Britain's offer falls short of expectations and that there must be a role for the European Court of Justice, the jurisdiction of which the government wants to leave.

CBI president Paul Drechsler said politicians had become more understanding of business's need for a transition period to prepare for the changes Brexit will bring.

Mr Drechsler told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think there is no question whatsoever that everybody now understands that success on Brexit means we need to have a very clear transition period and to know that that transition period exists, so we can make investment plans and for job creation.

"I feel that is being listened to a lot more now than it was six months ago."

Former Brexit minister David Jones backed Britain's approach to the so-called divorce bill, with officials prepared to wait weeks until formally setting out their position in a document.

The government's negotiating team is understood to be frustrated that Brussels is not explaining in more detail what it believes the UK is legally entitled to pay.

Both sides are hoping to reach an agreement on the method of calculating the financial settlement by October's European Council summit so Mr Barnier can recommend to EU leaders that negotiations can enter the next stage.

But suggestions that Mr Barnier could stall talks over the UK's unwillingness to set out a stance now were dismissed by Mr Jones, while negotiation insiders remarked on the agility of the British team as it is not pinned down by the kind of detailed position papers produced by Brussels.

Mr Jones told Politico: "I don't think Barnier can stall the talks. I think it's very dangerous if he does because we've got a very, very short timescale for all this and I think people tend to overlook that it's as much in the EU's interest as it is in the British interest to get this matter resolved.

"I wasn't party to those negotiations so I can't say what our stage of readiness is, but it does seem to me that if the EU is demanding a sum of money from Britain, it has to set out its methodology in great detail and support that methodology."

There were fresh calls for the government to urgently set out how it will ensure there is no disruption to the supply of radioactive isotopes used to treat cancer if the UK leaves Euratom.

Former business minister Pat McFadden said ministers appear to have made incorrect statements suggesting that access to isotopes was not covered by the European civil nuclear regulator.

He highlighted recent comments from Wim Oyen, president-elect of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, who told the Financial Times that "the transport of isotopes across borders is regulated so it is not something you can send in a package with DHL or FedEx and expect to be delivered the next day".

Mr Oyen also warned there was a danger that "if there is no agreement, people retreat to formal legal positions because there is a vacuum in regulation", while the British Nuclear Medicine Society has also said leaving Euratom could affect the supply of isotopes used in scans and treatment of cancer.

Mr McFadden said: "Last week the Government claimed their dogmatic decision to leave the Euratom treaty would have no impact on cancer treatment.

"But we have now had a litany of expert statements from medical bodies saying this is not the case, that these crucial materials do come under the auspices of the Euratom treaty and that without suitable new arrangements being in place there could indeed be an effect on crucial and time-sensitive movements of these materials.

"Either these important medical voices are wrong or ministers have got this wrong.

"They must say now what they are going to do to ensure there is no disruption to the supply of these materials."