EU, UK take contrasting messages from May’s Brexit speech
LONDON — European Union leaders on Wednesday countered U.K. optimism about a smooth and mutually beneficial divorce between Britain and the EU, declaring that, no matter what British Prime Theresa May thinks, Britain can’t dictate the terms of the separation.
EU President Donald Tusk warned Britain that it will not be able to “pick-and-choose” the choicest bits of trade and immigration as both sides wade into the negotiations this spring. He said May’s Brexit speech on Tuesday, in which she outlined her plans for moving ahead with the divorce, was proof the EU’s united stance was working.
May acknowledged she would not be able to break the EU’s sacrosanct link between having people and goods move around freely, for she chose to emphasize Britain’s full control over its borders and laws as her top priorities.
Tusk said the concession “proves that the unified position of 27 member states on the indivisibility of the single market was finally understood and accepted by London” even before the negotiations start.