Jeremy Corbyn to join Brexit talks: EU negotiator Guy Verhofstadt in shock demand to May
GUY Verhofstadt has suggested Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn should join Theresa May's Brexit negotiating team.
Corbyn refuses to clarify Labour's position on EU single market
The European Parliament's chief negotiator revealed he wants rival party leaders to sign up to the PM's top team in Brussels.
And in an apparent push for a role for Mr Corbyn, he described last month's election result as an "own goal" for Mrs May.
He said British voters had "rejected" her Brexit plans and more "diverse" voices should be listened to.
Brexit is about the whole of the UK, it's about people's lives
Mr Verhofstadt said: "Brexit is about the whole of the UK. It will affect all UK citizens, and EU citizens in the UK.
"This is much bigger than one political party’s internal divisions or short term electoral positioning.
"It's about people's lives."
Guy Verhofstadt wants rival party leaders to join May's Brexit negotiating team
He described last month’s election result as an 'own goal' for Mrs May
He added: "I believe the negotiations should involve more people with more diverse opinions.
"Some recognition that the election result was, in part, a rejection of Theresa May's vision for a hard Brexit would be welcome."
When asked if he wanted Mrs May’s negotiating team to include other party leaders, his spokesman said: "Absolutely."
Jeremy Corbyn with EU Brexit chief Michel Barnier in Brussels last week
The outspoken Belgian also criticised Mrs May's "somewhat chaotic" handling of the UK's impending divorce from the bloc.
He told the Independent: "It has been over a year since the referendum now and we have only just started the negotiations.
"This delay has created uncertainty, which has not been good for anybody – not for the UK, not for the EU and not for citizens."
The Labour leader has tried to portray himself as a 'Prime Minister in waiting'
Mr Corbyn met EU officials during a trip to the Belgian capital last week.
The Labour chief, who travelled with colleagues Sir Keir Starmer and Diane Abbott, held talks with the EU's Brexit chief Michel Barnier.
Speaking after the two-hour meeting, Mr Corbyn said he expressed "our wish to maintain jobs in Britain" after Brexit.
He insisted he was not negotiating on Mrs May’s behalf but "forming an opinion on what the EU really wants in this".