Britain’s Brexit deal ‘must be inferior’ to membership says EU leader who will chair negotiations
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he told Theresa May he doesn't see Britain 'better off at the end of the deal'
THE MAN leading the EU’s Brexit negotiations has warned Britain must get a deal that is “inferior to membership, so you can't have the cake and eat it”.
Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minister of Malta, said he told Theresa May: "I don't see a situation where Britain will be better off at the end of the deal."
His comments are significant as his country is the set to hold the rotating EU presidency next year, meaning it will chair the initial Brexit talks if the PM triggers Article 50 in early 2017 as she has indicated.
Dr Muscat told he spoke to Mrs May at the sideline of the UN General Assembly in New York this week.
He said to her: "Most of my colleagues want a fair deal for both the UK and Europe, but it has to be a deal that is inferior to membership, so you can't have the cake and eat it.
The Maltese PM added: "One of the problems is that in order to negotiate you have to know what the other side wants … right now, we don't know what the UK side wants.
"Can you tell me if the UK government wants access to the single market? Because I don't know. What does Brexit mean at the end of the day?"
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Dr Muscat explained how the remaining 27 counties plan to negotiate, saying: "Once the position of British government is determined, then the EU side will take a month, a month and a half to come together, draft the lines of engagement, draft a mandate and then the negotiations will start.
“There will be a unified position where the EU Council will give a mandate to the Commission to negotiate."
And he knocked back the idea freedom of movement could be agreed separately to the single market, saying: "I don't think there is a situation where one can discuss access to the single market and freedom of movement of people separately. EU countries will resist.
"It's not like discussing entering the union with a number of chapters.
"It will be a more holistic approach, a number of countries will be wary - including my own - of giving the UK a deal which would undermine our own competitiveness."