Brexit branded ‘a disaster’ for EU and UK
Posted By: September 24, 2016
The president of the European Parliament said the UK government was in “no way prepared” for Britain to vote to leave the EU and is unsure when it wants to begin formal Brexit negotiations.
Martin Schulz has pressed Theresa May to trigger Article 50 and start talks as soon as possible so they do not drag on and clash with EU elections in 2019.
The president, who met with Mrs May in Downing Street on Thursday, said Brexit is a “disaster” for Britain and the EU.
He hit out at the campaign to leave which he said had divided Britain like no other, and said he was alarmed by the recent upsurge in xenophobia in the country.
Mr Schulz said he originally wanted Britain to trigger Article 50 immediately after the referendum, but it soon became clear it would take longer as the government was unprepared for the Leave vote.
Speaking during a lecture at the London School of Economics, he said: “It is absolutely clear, and it became for me every day clearer, the complexity of the whole exercise is enormous.
“And what we saw was a Government here in London expected a majority for staying in.
“And they were, it was my feeling, no way prepared for the Leave majority.”
He said that meant Britain needed time to draw up plans to formally sever ties with the EU, and to decide what type of relationship it wants with the bloc following Brexit.
But he suggested he is not leaving Britain with much more of an idea of what Brexit will look like.
His intervention comes after Boris Johnson said he expects the government to trigger Article 50 early next year.
However, the British foreign secretary was immediately rebuked by Mrs May for making the statement, with her spokesman swiftly insisting that the government will only say it will not start negotiations this year.
In an hour-long talk and question and answer session about Brexit and the future of the EU, Mr Schulz said Britain’s departure is a blow but may allow the remaining member states to pursue greater integration.
