‘It's the ONLY solution' Former EU commissioner says UK heading for VERY soft Brexit
THE ONLY way Britain will obtain a deal with the European Union is through a soft Brexit, former EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht warned.
Karel De Gucht claimed Britain is heading for a “very, very soft Brexit” after Theresa May conceded to the EU over three key Brexit issues.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed on Friday that enough progress was made on the key issues in order to move on to the second stage of negotiations in time for the December 14-15 EU summit.
Speaking on the Today programme, Mr De Gucht said: “As a result of the agreement, in principle, to have a soft border between Northern Ireland and Ireland means that the whole of Great Britain will have to be very closely aligned with the European Union.
“They will not be forced anymore to be aligned but in practice, they will have to do so.”
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They are very clearly heading now to a soft Brexit, very, very soft Brexit
Mr De Gucht said the Brexit deal agreed upon shows the May Government wants “a very close alignment” with the European Union. He said: “They are very clearly heading now to a soft Brexit, very, very soft Brexit.
“And by the way, this is probably the only solution because if you really want to continue exporting to the European Union, and I’m talking about goods, then you need to be aligned because exporting goods to the European Union means that you have an agreement on tariffs, and I hope it is zero for zero.”
The Brexit deal has received a mixture of responses, with some Brexiteers insisting Britain is better off to walk away with no deal.
Leading Leave campaigner Nigel Farage wrote on Twitter: “A deal in Brussels is good news for Mrs May as we can now move on to the next stage of humiliation.”
Speaking on LBC, Mr Farage said the deal was “pathetic”. He said Britain will stay part of the European Court of Justice for 8 years after Brexit despite it being one of the “key reasons people voted for Brexit”.
Leave Means Leave co-chair Richard Tice said the Brexit deal includes two “huge bear traps” that could lead Britain to remain tied to the EU “forever”
He claimed the compromises on the Irish border and the transition period were “deliberately” added by civil servants and could result in Britain being trapped in a "permanent" transition phase.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Mr Tice said: “There are two huge bear traps in this agreement that I think civil servants have deliberately put in there in cahoots with Brussels bureaucrats.”
