David Davis proposes post-Brexit security links with EU after Parsons Green attack
2 min read
The UK should formalise security links with the EU to make sure Brexit does not impact the fight against terrorism, David Davis has said following the attack on Parsons Green.
The Brexit Secretary made the comments after a bomb was planted on a tube train at Parsons Green station.
The device, which is thought to have only partially detonated, injured 30 commuters when it exploded at the west London tube stop on Friday morning.
The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) has drawn up plans for a new legal pact to provide intelligence, law enforcement and criminal justice partnerships from 2019.
Mr Davis said effective cooperation would be “crucial” in order to keep Britons and Europeans safe.
He said: “We already have a deep level of collaboration with the EU on security matters and it is in both our interests to find ways to maintain it. We approach negotiations on our future special partnership with the EU as an opportunity to build on our existing achievements.
“A new security treaty with the EU would be underpinned by our shared principles, and should make sure our partnership has the agility to respond to the ever-changing threats we face.”
“Effective international cooperation is absolutely crucial for both the UK and the EU if we are to keep our citizens safe and bring criminals to justice.”
The plans, set to be published in a future partnership paper tomorrow, will say a new security deal is essential.
“In the face of ever-growing and increasingly cross-border threats, Britain wants to carry on and intensify this type of collaboration and agree a new framework for continued working,” the Department for Exiting the European Union said.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said in the face of ever growing threats, the need for cooperation was increasingly apparent.
“Recent events in the UK and across Europe have shown the criminal and terrorist threats we face are varied and increasingly international. The long-standing collaboration we have with our European partners allows us to jointly address these threats and keep our citizens safe,” she said.
“As we prepare to leave the EU it is therefore vital that we agree a new way to ensure continued security, law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation.”
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