There will be no renegotiation of Brexit deal, says EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker
- He stresses that the existing deal is the only one possible
Top European Union officials on Tuesday ruled out any renegotiation of the divorce agreement with Britain, as Prime Minister Theresa May fought to save her Brexit deal by lobbying leaders in Europe’s capitals.
May began her quest over breakfast with Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, a day after she abandoned a vote in the UK parliament to secure support for the agreement thrashed out with the EU over more than a year. She acknowledged that the deal would be rejected in London “by a significant margin”.
Rutte betrayed little of their conversation, tweeting only that they had “a useful dialogue which saw us discuss the latest Brexit developments”.
But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that the agreement – almost 600 pages long, highly technical and legally binding – cannot be reopened for negotiation at a summit of EU leaders on Thursday. He did say, however, that elements of the deal could still be clarified.
“There is no room whatsoever for renegotiation,” Juncker told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, as he briefed them on the summit.
Juncker, who is set to meet May on Tuesday evening, reiterated that “the deal we have achieved is the best deal possible. It is the only deal possible.”
