UK Cannot 'have Cake And Eat It' On Brexit: Luxembourg PM To AFP
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published November 29, 2016 | 09:10 PM
LUXEMBOURG, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Nov, 2016 ) - Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said Britain cannot "have its cake and eat it", as the government in London distanced itself from a memo including the aim to have the best of both worlds from Brexit.
In an interview with AFP, Bettel also ruled out any transitional Brexit deal with the European Union to soften the impact of Britain's departure if difficult negotiations are not completed in two years.
"They want to have their cake, eat it, and get a smile from the baker, but not the other things," Bettel said on Monday evening in his office in Luxembourg. "There are European values which cannot be separated.
No cherry-picking." Bettel's comments come as EU leaders step up warnings that Britain cannot expect to keep access to the single market while limiting immigration by European citizens after it leaves the bloc.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to start the two-year divorce process in March 2017 but has not set out her goals, while EU leaders have refused to negotiate until she triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
However in a glimpse of what the British strategy could be, a photographer spotted a memo in the hands of an aide to a lawmaker leaving the Department for Exiting the European Union in Downing Street on Monday which included the aim to "have cake and eat it".
The memo also suggested Britain will fail to keep access to the European single market and will seek to keep the negotiations to two years, instead of a lengthier interim deal aimed at lessening the sudden impact of leaving the EU.
Last week, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny raised the prospect of a transitional deal as it would be "impossible" to complete negotiations within the two years, but Bettel ruled out any "hybrid" arrangement.
"What would interim mean? That we are going make a hybrid status now? Either you're a member or you're not a member of the European Union," the Luxembourg prime minister said. "We are not going to make a status of 'a little bit member' or 'not completely', 'pending divorced', 'nearly divorced'. "There is no in-between status, there is no hybrid status between the two."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Cricket: England v West Indies 3rd Test scoreboard
Finance minister briefs Chinese officials on reform agenda, engagement with IMF
Finland says Russian vessel violated its territorial waters
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
Ukraine court orders detention of suspect in murder of nationalist ex-MP
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
Rana Sanaullah Khan joins Paris 2024 Olympics inauguration reception
Glowing tributes mark 69th birthday of President Zardari at Governor's House
Players unaware of spying scandal as Canada Olympic coach sent home: official
Naqvi hails Pak women cricketers for going down fighting against SL
'Sabotage' on French rail network before Olympics: What we know
More Stories From World
-
Biden talks Gaza ceasefire efforts with king of Jordan
5 hours ago -
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
5 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked ex-presidents going to observe polls
5 hours ago -
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
5 hours ago -
Khan Yunis fighting displaces 180,000 Gazans in four days: UN
5 hours ago -
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
5 hours ago
-
Obama & his wife, Michelle, officially endorse US VP Kamala Harris for president
5 hours ago -
Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park
5 hours ago -
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
5 hours ago -
S.African police detain 95 Libyans at suspected military camp
6 hours ago -
'Slapping therapist' guilty over UK diabetic woman's death
6 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked flight of ex-presidents going to observe polls
6 hours ago