Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator told British MPs that he would not carve out protections from the withdrawal agreement to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK and Britons living in Europe. He refused to budge despite warnings from the cross-party group from Westminster that the Brexit deal is further away from “being passed than we ever have been”. Alberto Costa, Conservative MP for South Leicestershire, led the “emergency task force” to Brussels but failed to convince Mr Barnier to “ring-fence” citizens’ rights protections.

The Brexit negotiator told the MPs that the “best way” to protect the millions of citizens making their homes in the UK or EU would be to support the hated divorce deal.

Mr Costa told reporters in Brussels: “Whatever the outcome of Brexit, we must protect the rights of the five million citizens affected by Britain’s exit from the European Union.

“Mr Barnier reiterated that the best way to do that is through the withdrawal agreement.”

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, warned the EU would not change its stance until Mr Barnier knows the “withdrawal agreement is properly dead under a new prime minister”.

She told Express.co.uk: “His point was the withdrawal agreement was created with citizens’ rights top of the agenda, and it always was.

“I understand that he wants to wait for the new prime minister is in place and give him a few weeks to see how it goes.

“I think in the room that absolutely everyone, including Mr Barnier, was that a no deal would be very, very bad thing. But until such the time the withdrawal agreement is properly dead under a new prime minister, and he doesn’t accept that yet.”

She added: “What we were able to tell him was we think that we are further away from the agreement being passed than we ever have been.”

In February, Mr Costa resigned from the Government to put forward an amendment seeking to protect citizens’ rights “whatever the outcome of negotiations on other aspects of the withdrawal agreement”.

The amendment was unanimously passed by the Commons, triggering the Government to request the protections provided in the withdrawal agreement are “ring-fenced”.

Brussels has resisted the temptation to accept, with EU sources warning that the bloc won’t allow “mini deals” to be created that make no deal easier.

Mr Barnier has warned it would be “far from straightforward” to protect the rights outside of the Brexit deal.

In a letter to Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, he added: “Our joint efforts should remain focused on making sure that the withdrawal agreement will be ratified and entered into force.”

Source: Read Full Article