Brussels would be breaking its own rules by forcing ‘no deal’ Brexit outcome, officials say
3 min read
The European Union risks going against the principles of its own rule book by refusing to reach a compromise with Britain on its exit terms, Government officials have reportedly said.
Senior Whitehall sources told the Daily Telegraph the continued stalling by the bloc heightened the chances of a "no deal" result and would potentially breach the Lisbon Treaty.
They point to Article 8 of the Lisbon Treaty, which states that the EU must "develop a special relationship with neighbouring countries, aiming to establish an area of prosperity and good neighbourliness, founded on the values of the Union and characterised by close and peaceful relations based on cooperation”.
One source told the paper the British side was prepared to “make it clear whose fault it was”, while former Brexit Secretary David Davis warned Brussels risked making a “massive miscalculation” that could lead to an accidental no deal outcome.
The senior Whitehall source said: “We have made an offer that some people think is on the generous side and the EU has to know we are not kidding.
“If they don’t like our offer they need to come back and say what the alternative is, but they can’t just keep stalling.
“They also need to accept that we’ve done nothing wrong. We left under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty, which says they have obligations to help us.
“The way they are behaving is making things difficult and if we end up with no deal we will make it clear whose fault it was.”
Meanwhile Mr Davis said: “It’s certainly not the intention of the EU to have a no deal Brexit but they are misjudging us at the moment. The UK Parliament does not want no deal but it’s certainly not going to be pushed around by the European Parliament…
“This is a negotiation and it will go to the edge, but we must not panic about this. They have got lots to lose too, and specific countries and specific sectors have got large amounts to lose. As we get closer to the brink there will be internal pressure within the EU.”
It comes just a day after Liam Fox warned that a “no deal” outcome was now odds-on to happen as a result of EU “intransigence”.
He rounded on the “theological obsession” of EU top brass with rules rather than “economic wellbeing” as he called on the EU to bring forward its own proposals after rejecting Theresa May’s.
The International Trade Secretary accused Brussels’ chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, of dismissing UK plans “because we have never done it before” and argued that “makes the chance of no deal greater”.
A Downing Street spokesperson later insisted the Prime Minister remained “confident of getting a good deal”.
They said: “We are urging Brussels and the nations of the EU27 engage with the Brexit white paper and make sure we avoid a no deal Brexit.
“The fact is that we are ramping up our no deal preparations, as was planned, because there was always a possibility of no deal.”
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