Britain cannot be blackmailed by EU over exit bill: minister

[webfact]

Britain cannot be blackmailed by EU over exit bill: minister

By William James

 

Britain's International Trade Secretary Liam Fox speaks during an interview with Reuters at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/Files

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - British trade minister Liam Fox said on Friday Britain would not be blackmailed into agreeing on the cost of leaving the European Union and urged Brussels to move negotiations on to discuss Britain's future relationship with the bloc.

 

The third round of Brexit negotiations, focused on settling the terms of Britain's exit from the EU, ended on Thursday with a warning from Brussels that more work needed to be done before they moved on to discuss future ties.

 

The British government has been keen to shift talks to a new relationship, seeking to allay business concerns on trade and regulation, but Brussels has demanded progress first on central issues, including how much Britain should pay when it leaves.

 

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit point man, wrote in Britain's Telegraph newspaper that while "it is in the interests of the EU for us to secure a close relationship, ... we must first agree a methodology for the settling of accounts, secure the rights of EU citizens in the UK and have a frank discussion about the Irish border".

 

In Japan with Prime Minister Theresa May, Fox told broadcaster ITV: "We can't be blackmailed into paying a price on the first part."

 

The Brexit bill is a contentious issue both domestically, where eurosceptics are keen to see as little money paid as possible, and with the EU, which is demanding Britain meets its existing commitments to the bloc.

 

Britain has said it is prepared to meet its international obligations and on Thursday, Brexit minister David Davis said London was willing to offer more than the bare legal minimum.

 

Fox said businesses across Europe had told him they were keen to see more detail on what Britain's new relationship with the EU would look like.

 

"We think we should begin discussions on the final settlement because that's good for business, and it's good for the prosperity both of the British people and of the rest of the people of the European Union," Fox said.

 

But Verhofstadt said Britain's efforts to press for "a new customs union" and to recreate the EU's structures were "in order to continue to benefit from the best elements of the EU, without it being called the EU.

 

"This is not serious, fair or even possible given the negotiating time remaining."

 

(additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper in London; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-01

[Thakkar]

Nick Macpherson (@nickmacpherson2)
1/9/17, 3:39 pm

"Blackmail" is the perpetual cry of the smaller negotiator with the weaker hand. #getagrip

[aright]

Woods and trees come to mind

 

https://capx.co/dont-panic-britain-has-a-strong-brexit-hand/

[canopus1969]

Tell Johnny foreigner to sling his 'ook  

[petermik]

7 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Tell Johnny foreigner to sling his 'ook  

+1...........fark them

[Ricardo]

The EEC-negotiators seem desperate to fix the divorce pay-off first, before getting-down to discussing the other details, this is the sort of thinking which helped cause the vote & result in-the-first-place !

 

Then again, now that Labour are back-peddling fast on the decision to depart, maybe they hope there's a chance we might yet change our minds, and continue paying-in 15% of their annual-budget ? 

 

They may come to regret wasting ever more time at this stage, then again so might we, hopefully someone in Whitehall is contingency-planning for a no-agreement exit-deal !

[Grouse]

1 hour ago, aright said:

Woods and trees come to mind

 

https://capx.co/dont-panic-britain-has-a-strong-brexit-hand/

Joseph Hackett is a Research Executive at Get Britain Out

 

Tripe!

[Grouse]

14 minutes ago, Ricardo said:

The EEC-negotiators seem desperate to fix the divorce pay-off first, before getting-down to discussing the other details, this is the sort of thinking which helped cause the vote & result in-the-first-place !

 

Then again, now that Labour are back-peddling fast on the decision to depart, maybe they hope there's a chance we might yet change our minds, and continue paying-in 15% of their annual-budget ? 

 

They may come to regret wasting ever more time at this stage, then again so might we, hopefully someone in Whitehall is contingency-planning for a no-agreement exit-deal !

That IS the plan.

 

It sure as hell will be bad for the numpties in particular.

[taff33]

Please,show us your books.

[aright]

30 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Joseph Hackett is a Research Executive at Get Britain Out

 

Tripe!

And you are a voter and endorser of "Keep Britain in"

Neither of your positions invalidates opinion.

Rather than call opinion "Tripe" try addressing the points he makes.

 

[nausea]

It's all rhetoric for domestic consumption. We know what the market thinks, as the pound/euro head towards parity, they think  the European Union has the upper hand.

[Grouse]

10 minutes ago, aright said:

And you are a voter and endorser of "Keep Britain in"

Neither of your positions invalidates opinion.

Rather than call opinion "Tripe" try addressing the points he makes.

 

The article is from June, before May's slap election. Before we knew what an ace team of negotiators we have. Fox? Jesus!

 

On balance I am pro EU and certainly pro single market and customs union.

 

What has NATO to do with the EU?

 

Do you understand the gravitational theory of international trade?

 

Euro settlements are a sizeable slice of city business. New York is 5 hours behind. Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong are 6 hours in front. London's sweet spot is at risk from Frankfurt, Paris or Dublin.

 

Our manufacturing is now only 9% of GDP and much of that is down to FDI.

 

You're correct, tripe is not the correct word cr*p is more appropriate 

[Phuket Man]

Vote or no vote, it is about time someone had the guts to stop this nonsense before the U.K goes completely down the pan.

No plan, no strategy, no idea.

 

No agreement will be a total disaster.

All because a few old codgers who live in the past still thing that little england still rules the world.

[Basil B]

Europe does not want any early agreements, they are trying to scare Banks and other industries into jumping ship...

[steve187]

2 hours ago, Phuket Man said:

Vote or no vote, it is about time someone had the guts to stop this nonsense before the U.K goes completely down the pan.

No plan, no strategy, no idea.

 

No agreement will be a total disaster.

All because a few old codgers who live in the past still thing that little england still rules the world.

i think it was more than a few,  who voted out, i think it was the majority

[Grouse]

11 minutes ago, steve187 said:

i think it was more than a few,  who voted out, i think it was the majority

And what do you conclude from that undeniable fact?

[Orac]

Vote or no vote, it is about time someone had the guts to stop this nonsense before the U.K goes completely down the pan.
No plan, no strategy, no idea.
 
No agreement will be a total disaster.
All because a few old codgers who live in the past still thing that little england still rules the world.

The nonsense can't be stopped completely
and a decision to remain now and try and get back to where we were (or still are technically) would be devastating to our national self confidence and position in the world order.

What we need is our politicians to stop playing to the home crowd and get on with negotiating a good deal for us which means getting past the divorce payment which is not really significant given the volume of trade involved if paid over a period of a few years so that we can move forward.

[chang50]

2 hours ago, Phuket Man said:

Vote or no vote, it is about time someone had the guts to stop this nonsense before the U.K goes completely down the pan.

No plan, no strategy, no idea.

 

No agreement will be a total disaster.

All because a few old codgers who live in the past still thing that little england still rules the world.

Brexit has been a total disaster for the UK economy and especially bad for expats as the pound goes down the toilet yet there are still plenty of them defending it.It defies all logic.

[Jip99]

5 minutes ago, chang50 said:

Brexit has been a total disaster for the UK economy and especially bad for expats as the pound goes down the toilet yet there are still plenty of them defending it.It defies all logic.

 

 

 

Nothing wrong with the principles of Brexit.

 

 

 

The mechanics are a different matter.............. but those should have been put in place by dopey Cameron

[Thakkar]

9 minutes ago, chang50 said:

Brexit has been a total disaster for the UK economy and especially bad for expats as the pound goes down the toilet yet there are still plenty of them defending it.It defies all logic.

The bizzare satisfaction of "sticking it to the foreigners" dulls the pain of having held wrong end of the knife whilst sticking it.

[chang50]

Just now, Thakkar said:

The bizzare satisfaction of "sticking it to the foreigners" dulls the pain of having held wrong end of the knife whilst sticking it.

Exactly and the irony of a group of foreigners in Thailand wanting to stick it to another group of foreigners in the UK actually burns.Moronic doesn't begin to describe it.

[chang50]

7 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

 

Nothing wrong with the principles of Brexit.

 

 

 

The mechanics are a different matter.............. but those should have been put in place by dopey Cameron

Doesn't change the fact the electorate voted for it irregardless of its effects.

[Thakkar]

15 minutes ago, chang50 said:

Exactly and the irony of a group of foreigners in Thailand wanting to stick it to another group of foreigners in the UK actually burns.Moronic doesn't begin to describe it.

The same people complaining about too easy for "Pakis" to go to England also complain incessantly about how hard it is for their own brown Thai partners to get visas. Irony, like water off a duck's back.

[chang50]

6 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

The same people complaining about too easy for "Pakis" to go to England also complain incessantly about how hard it is for their own brown Thai partners to get visas. Irony, like water off a duck's back.

They'll never see it the people who are prepared to destroy their home countries economy and their personal finances living abroad to satisfy deeply ingrained prejudices (in many cases).

[Jip99]

33 minutes ago, chang50 said:

Doesn't change the fact the electorate voted for it irregardless of its effects.

 

Absolutely. 

 

Even if a horse crosses the line a short head in front of the second horse he is still the winner.

 

You don't normally get griping, whining and bleating from the other runners.

 

The decision having been made, it would be nice if everyone could actually work together for a better future for the UK.

[chang50]

19 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

Absolutely. 

 

Even if a horse crosses the line a short head in front of the second horse he is still the winner.

 

You don't normally get griping, whining and bleating from the other runners.

 

The decision having been made, it would be nice if everyone could actually work together for a better future for the UK.

I seem to remember voting with the majority to remain in 1975 and listening to griping whining and bleating about the EU for 41 years to the extent that we had a second referendum and my democratic wishes were overturned.Where was the working together to make a better future for the UK?Of course if you have enough referenda you will eventually win and that will be the end because there is zero chance of us ever getting back.

[Jip99]

33 minutes ago, chang50 said:

I seem to remember voting with the majority to remain in 1975 and listening to griping whining and bleating about the EU for 41 years to the extent that we had a second referendum and my democratic wishes were overturned.Where was the working together to make a better future for the UK?Of course if you have enough referenda you will eventually win and that will be the end because there is zero chance of us ever getting back.

 

 

Yep. Your democratic wishes were overturned democratically.

 

Move on.

[KhaoNiaw]

So there have been 2 referendums in the past. Maybe it should be the best of three?

 

Personally, I would go with the leave but go to the people with some facts and genuine information to ask what kind of leave they want. So let the people decide if they want a soft or a hard Brexit? Nobody had a clue what they were voting for last time (not blaming one side for that). So give them an informed choice now. Out with no agreement or stay in the single market and customs union. Ask the people and then follow their wishes instead of making it up as they go along.

[aright]

7 hours ago, Phuket Man said:

No agreement will be a total disaster.

All because a few old codgers who live in the past still thing that little england still rules the world.

It is nonsense to suggest that the UK must have a trade deal. Successful countries succeed with or without trade deals if they produce goods and services other people want. Bilateral deals are great for a country like the UK . They are far simpler than deals with a monolith like the EU. Rapid in execution, and more comprehensive. Switzerland and Iceland(population less than Croydon), both successful countries, have a trade deal with China. Our shops and supermarkets are stuffed with goods from countries with which we have no trade deals. Trade deals are no longer needed with successful countries because their tariffs are low.

If we left the EU without a trade deal we would face EU tariffs of 2.4% which is currently the average EU tariff. That level would not cripple this nation. 

 

5 hours ago, steve187 said:

i think it was more than a few,  who voted out, i think it was the majority

Absolutely spot on and a reminder to the remainer's who continue to bang on about, if the referendum  was held now we would vote to stay; at the last general election, not that long ago,  87% of the people who voted, voted for the parties (Conservative, Labour and UKIP)whose manifestos committed them to leaving the EU. The one party (Liberal)who said they would give the great unwashed a second referendum so they could stay in the EU if they got into power polled 8%.

Say's it all really. How many of the disenchanted  on this thread voted Liberal? 

[Grouse]

6 hours ago, Orac said:

 

The nonsense can't be stopped completely
and a decision to remain now and try and get back to where we were (or still are technically) would be devastating to our national self confidence and position in the world order.

What we need is our politicians to stop playing to the home crowd and get on with negotiating a good deal for us which means getting past the divorce payment which is not really significant given the volume of trade involved if paid over a period of a few years so that we can move forward.

 

Frankly, the divorce payment is de minimis 

 

5% of one year's GDP 

 

We should stop being so cheap

 

But here's the thing, the Cons don't want a deal. They want to show the plebs European intransigence.

 

Let's stick it to The Hun and The Frogs!

 

We'll storm out and create a low rent, low class, low quality, low pay, low civil society with a few Dickensian toffs driving the underclasses!