Time to tell them to foxtrot Oscar..
Brexit transitional deal will lock UK into EU court, says Verhofstadt
Exclusive: EU negotiator suggests Brussels does not plan to let Theresa May keep promises to leave ECJ’s jurisdiction in 2019
Daniel Boffey in Brussels
Friday 10 February 2017 18.02 GMT
Guy Verhofstadt also said it would not be possible for the UK to negotiate a future trade deal at the same time as withdrawal talks. Photograph: Sander de Wilde
Daniel Boffey in Brussels
Friday 10 February 2017 18.02 GMT
Britain will remain under the jurisdiction of the European court of justice for years to come if it seeks a transition deal to cushion its withdrawal from the EU, the chief negotiator for the European parliament has said.
In the clearest sign to date that Britain is on a collision course with Brussels over the court, Guy Verhofstadt said European negotiators were primed to push back against Theresa May’s promises to remove the UK from the writ of European judges as soon as Britain leaves the EU in 2019.
Verhofstadt, who is representing the parliament in the article 50 negotiations, said he expected a transition agreement to be put together following the settling of Britain’s debts and before withdrawal in 2019.
But asked whether the UK would remain under the European court of justice after 2019, the former Belgian prime minister said: “The starting point from the European side will be yes.”
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/10/brexit-transitional-deal-will-lock-uk-into-eu-court-guy-verhofstadt