Brexit deal FAVOURS EU and PUNISHES Britain, Greg Hands says

EXPRESS 2019-01-10 12:20:00

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Greg Hands is concerned about the EU giving the UK a tough time on the Brexit deal (Image: GETTY )

Greg Hands, a former international trade minister, claimed the secretary-general of European Commission President Jean Claude-Juncker and Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier wanted to make the Brexit process difficult for the UK. He claimed the EU officials believe that “Northern Ireland is the price that Britain must pay for Brexit”, the Withdrawal Agreement shows Brexit “doesn’t work” and “the power is with the EU” and the “EU has the best negotiating position for the future relationship”. Writing a comment piece for Conservative Home, Mr Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham, pointed the finger at Martin Selmayr and Sabine Weyland. He said: “It has been clear from the beginning that the mission of senior Brussels officials has been to punish Britain for Brexit. and Weyand appear to be no exception to this.”

These are people totally committed to seeing that Britain is harmed

Greg Hands

Mr Juncker’s deputy Mr Selmayr was accused of leaking details of two dinners between Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker.

The Leave campaigner said both Mr Selmayr and Ms Weyand “have been clear that the agreement is overwhelmingly favourable to the European Union”.

He said the UK should be concerned these people could be in charge of the trade deals following the UK’s exit from the EU and Selmayr’s views on trade deals would be “unhelpful” for the UK.

He said: “The same people are likely to be in charge from the EU side. These are people totally committed to seeing that Britain is harmed.”

Greg Hands has accused Martin Selmayr of making life difficult for the UK (Image: GETTY)

According to the former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Mr Selmayr had been saying that “losing Northern Ireland” was the “price of Brexit”.

Mr Raab said: “It is one thing to defend your interests robustly, but there is another thing in the spirit of so-called European unity to be trying to carve up a major European nation”.

Mr Selmayr gave an interview to the small German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse where he said Brexit “doesn’t work”.

He said: “The Europeans are at one on the question of Brexit. All have noticed, that this exit from the EU, which the populists have extolled as a great success, doesn’t work. The other 27 states are united: they have negotiated hard and realised their objectives”.

Sabine Weyland works for the Brexit Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier (Image: GETTY )

But he denied he was trying to make Britain pay. Writing on Twitter in response to Mr Hands, Mr Selmayr said: “This is false. It may be a story that some want to hear, but it is still false. We have never said this.”

MPs today resume their debate on Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement, before voting on the deal on Tuesday.

Express.co.uk has contacted the European Commission for a comment.

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