Theresa May should take a hard line with the EU over Brexit negotiations or risk being cheated, Italy’s deputy prime minister has said.
Right-wing populist Matteo Salvini told the Sunday Times that Mrs may should be prepared to walk away without a deal, saying: “On some principles there is no need to be flexible and you should not go backwards.”
Mr Salvini, a former MEP who has clashed with the EU since entering government earlier this year, spoke as the Prime Minister faced pressure from Conservative Party figures not to cede any more ground to Brussels.
Her white paper sparked the resignation of foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit secretary David Davis, and while party figures have supported it some have warned it should be a line in the sand rather than a flexible starting point for negotiations.
Mr Salvini, leader of hardline anti-immigrant party the League, told the Sunday Times there is “no objectivity or good faith from the European side”, adding: “My experience in the European parliament tells me you either impose yourself or they swindle you.”
His hardline comments come after Mrs May and senior ministers embarked on a series of visits to EU27 countries in an attempt to get backing for her Brexit plan.
The plan was dealt a blow by Brussels on Thursday as its chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, rejected the customs proposals that form a key plank of her white paper.
She had received a welcome boost on Friday after Austria agreed that Brexit would be among topics for discussion at an informal meeting of EU leaders.
Downing Street said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz agreed that Britain’s departure from the EU would be on the agenda for the European Council being hosted by his country – which currently holds the EU presidency – on September 20.
It means the Prime Minister has an extra gathering of leaders to try to convince them to support her Brexit plan after a week in which ministers have been deployed to various capitals to woo senior politicians.
The next meeting is a gathering of EU leaders in Brussels in October, by which time it is hoped a Brexit deal will have been hammered out.
Mrs May has been backed by her local Conservative Association chairman.
Richard Kellaway said the Maidenhead branch “fully supported” Mrs May’s plan and he had been impressed by a briefing on it for association heads in Downing Street by her chief of staff Gavin Barwell.
Mr Kellaway told the Press Association: “Most of us found it quite persuasive and convincing.
“We have received little criticism from our members.
“I’m of the group of people who feel that it is not a great deal, but it is not bad. We have to actually have a deal.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel