UK Parliament Leader Leadsom: What Brexit Game Is EU Playing?

By Staff, Agencies

The leader of parliament Andrea Leadsom said she was beginning to wonder what game the European Union was playing over Brexit as relations between London and Brussels deteriorated ahead of a vote by lawmakers next week.

Less than three weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, Prime Minister Theresa May has failed to secure the changes to the divorce agreement she needs to gain the support of lawmakers who rejected it in a record rebellion in January.

At the heart of the dispute is a disagreement over how to manage the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland.

On Friday, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier put forward a proposal to keep the border open and keep the province subject to EU rules, prompting London to reject it.

“There is still hope, but I have to say I’m deeply disappointed with what we’re hearing coming out of the EU,” Leadsom told Reuters. “I do have to ask myself what game are they playing here.”

Asked who would be to blame if May loses the parliamentary vote again on Tuesday, Leadsom said: “I would point to the EU needing to work closely with us.

“We are hoping we will be able to win that vote but that does depend on the EU coming to the table and taking seriously the [UK’s] proposals.”

Guy Verhofstadt, Brexit coordinator for the European Parliament, backed Barnier.

“He has put forward constructive additions, now we wait for a credible response from the UK to ensure an orderly Brexit,” he said on Saturday.