France has won the support of Spain and Belgium after signalling its readiness for a no-deal Brexit on 12 April if there are no significant new British proposals, according to a note of an EU27 meeting seen by the Guardian.
The diplomatic cable reveals that the French ambassador secured the support of Spanish and Belgian colleagues in arguing that there should only be, at most, a short article 50 extension to avoid an instant financial crisis, saying: “We could probably extend for a couple of weeks to prepare ourselves in the markets.”
The chances of Theresa May’s proposal of an extension to 30 June succeeding appeared slim as France’s position in the private diplomatic meeting was echoed by an official statement reiterating its opposition to any further Brexit delay without a clear British plan.
Brexit in-depth: All the latest news, analysis and expert opinion
May wrote to the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, on Friday to ask for the delay until 30 June while she battles to win cross-party agreement on a way forward.
EU states are extremely sceptical that an extension to 30 June will resolve anything in Westminster. Tusk is pushing the EU to offer at a summit next Wednesday what he has described as a “flextension” in which the UK would be given a year-long extension with an option to come out early if the deal is ratified.
Video: Brexit: What’s coming up in a big week for Theresa May? (The Independent)
Responding to May’s letter publicly, France’s secretary of state for European affairs, Amélie de Montchalin, told the Guardian in a statement: “The European council took a clear decision on 21 March … Another extension requires the UK to put forward a plan with clear and credible political backing.” The council would then define the necessary conditions attached to that extension, she said.
“[I]n the absence of such a plan, we would have to acknowledge that the UK chose to leave the EU in a disorderly manner.”
A spokesman for the Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, rejected claims that Belgium would oppose the “flextension”. “We have never publicly or privately opposed extending article 50,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May during a bi-lateral meeting at the G7 summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, on June 8, 2018. (Photo by ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo credit should read LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images) According to the diplomatic cable of the EU27 meeting, the French ambassador said he “failed to see in Theresa May’s letter any argument in favour of a long extension”.
The French ambassador took a sterner line than de Montchalin, insisting that there was no justification, and only danger, in extending the UK’s membership of the EU.
If the EU did only allow a two-week extension the UK would then have an opportunity to revoke article 50, setting up the possibility of a straight vote in parliament between leaving with no deal and overturning the result of the referendum.
But despite the French intervention, a second EU source insisted the “discussion showed wide support to Tusk’s idea of a long flextension”.
“Some member states insisted on the need to have a clear UK plan before granting a long extension,” the source added. “Some member states insisted on assurances for sincere cooperation.”
© ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE – In this Thursday, May 17, 2018 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and British Prime Minister Theresa May after meeting at a hotel on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File) The German representative argued that a no-deal Brexit should be avoided at all costs, the diplomatic note said. “There are positive elements to the letter,” the ambassador added. “Already the Conservatives’ discussion with Labour provides enough to justify an extension. But we agree that we need more precision, as the French suggest.”
But Paris is lobbying for EU governments to stay true to the summit communique of 21 March, where leaders offered an extension until 22 May should the withdrawal agreement be approved.
A longer extension would be granted if there was a clear indication from the British government on the way forward, which it does not believe has yet materialised.
France, with the agreement of the Belgian and Spanish ambassadors, agreed that the current position coming from London did not meet these conditions.
“If the European council were to take the view that it is going to be a no deal next week, we could probably extend for a couple of weeks to prepare ourselves in the markets,” the French ambassador said, according to the diplomatic note.
“A no agreement is still the most probable scenario,” France’s ambassador concluded, with the subsequent agreement of Spain and Belgium.
A senior EU official briefing the ambassadors conceded there were concerns about a tweet earlier on Friday by the Conservative MP and chairman of the Eurosceptic European Research Group, Jacob Rees-Mogg, stating that the British government should disrupt the EU from within in the event of a long extension of EU membership.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May attend a Girl Education event at UN headquarters during the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, September 25, 2018. (Photo by AMR ALFIKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read AMR ALFIKY/AFP/Getty Images) “The functioning of the EU is a central element as how we proceed,” the official said. “The tweet of Jacob Rees-Mogg showed what they are capable of.”
Earlier in the day a European commission spokesman played down the impact of Rees-Mogg’s remarks. He said: “This gentleman is not our interlocutor and I would say then that the principle of sincere cooperation does apply as the Prime Minister May herself makes it clear in her letter.”
But an EU source said that the threat implicit in the Conservative MP’s tweet was “turning into the biggest issue”. “How can we make sure the UK doesn’t pull a Jacob Rees-Mogg? How can we make sure they play nice? On the one hand a short extension or a no-deal carries risks, but a long extension risks paralysis.”
Later, the European parliament’s chief Brexit representative, Guy Verhofstadt, wrote in response to Rees-Mogg’s tweet: “For those in the EU who may be tempted to further extend the Brexit saga, I can only say, be careful what you wish for.”
In the meeting, the German ambassador said that all efforts should be made to avoid a no-deal Brexit, given the economic consequences on both sides of the Channel. “Keep the ball in London’s court,” the German ambassador said. “Long or short extension, I don’t want to get into that. Let’s see.”
© 2018 Getty Images QUEBEC CITY, QC – JUNE 08: French President Emmanuel Macron poses for a photo with British Prime Minister Theresa May during a bilateral meeting at Le Manoir Richelieu on day one of the G7 meeting on June 8, 2018 in Quebec City, Canada. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) Berlin’s representative said that it took hope from the cross-party talks with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party, while conceding that any extension should include tough conditions to prevent London from meddling in the EU’s long-term planning, including its budget.
EU sources said that strong conditions on any extension might be the key to persuading France to agree to avoid no deal.
But according to the leaked diplomatic cable, the French ambassador offered a hard-hitting response that went to the heart of the bloc’s problems: “All this is very well, but conditionality on membership are not possible.”
“This is not good enough for us,” the ambassador added. Sources from the Élysée Palace had been quoted earlier in the day describing Tusk’s offer as a “clumsy trial balloon”.
The Netherlands, the UK’s closest ally in the Brexit talks, is yet to take a clear position. But on Friday the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said Britain’s request needed to be clarified before or at a summit.
“Theresa May’s letter raises many questions, which need to be discussed,” Rutte told reporters. “We hope for more clarity from London before next Wednesday.”
© Getty Getty Every morning when I get home from the school drop, the dog and I have a race to minesweep the children’s breakfasts. I am more intelligent and better informed than him, so I know who’s left half a croissant and who has just shoved a banana under their pillow, but he is much faster and more determined, so we end up about even. I’m just setting the baseline here for human foods that I will allow Romeo the dog to eat: pretty much anything. And a baseline for what he will eat: also pretty much anything, except raw fish, grapes and edamame beans.When you cook for your dog, though, you have to get a bit more on it, with an eye on nutrition and balance. Cooking for your pet seems to be a growing trend among owners worried about additives in commercial dog food, or just wanting more control over their their animals’ diets. Whether or not it’s reflected in actual statistics will have to wait until the ONS understands counting this activity as its core business, but people are certainly talking about it a lot.
brain-perks 