David Davis says Theresa May has put Jean-Claude Juncker and EU leaders ‘back in their box’ and vows he won’t put up with Brexit ‘silly games’
He said the PM has shown the EU that Britain will not be bullied and means business
TOUGH talking Theresa May has shown the EU that Britain will not be bullied and means business, Brexit Minister David Davis claimed last night.
Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the EU said the no-nonsense approach to negotiations had put European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and his allies “back in their box”.
Mr Davis also said the PM has proven Britain will not be bullied into a bad deal.
He admitted to devoting half of his time to preparing for the possibility of walking away from Brexit talks with no trade deal, although he is still confident of achieving a deal.
Tensions rose between Downing Street and Brussels after a critical account of a private dinner between Mrs May and Mr Juncker was leaked to a German newspaper.
"We've shown we mean business. We won't engage in silly games but neither will we put up with silly games," .
Speaking after Mrs May unveiled the Tory manifesto in Halifax, he said: "We waited 48 hours while people in Brussels started criticising Theresa and launching various attacks on me.
"And then she said, 'That's enough!' and put them back in their box, basically.
"What has happened since is that Juncker has admitted it was a bad mistake, Michel Barnier (chief EU negotiator) is being constructive, so we think now we are going to get off to a good start.
"There will still be bumps along the way, that is guaranteed to happen because there will come times when they want to test our resolve and see if we really mean it.
"The public will have to sit through some slightly tense periods. But that's okay, I am confident we can get there."
Labour would simply surrender to Brussels over a bad Brexit deal if Jeremy Corbyn became prime minister, he said.
Mr Davis added: "Anybody who has to do any negotiation in any aspect of their lives knows you can't just say, 'We will take any deal rather than walk away', which is what Labour is prepared to do.
"Half of my work is preparing the 'walk away' option.
"I don't expect it will ever be used but it has got to be there as an available option if we absolutely need it."
Brexit was placed at the heart of the Conservative manifesto, with a pledge to secure a "fair settlement" for Britain's EU exit bill.
The document also set out plans to take Britain out of the European single market and customs union, and pledged to secure the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.
