‘UK must SUFFER!’ Angela Merkel makes shocking Brexit attack
ANGELA Merkel was quoted as saying “the UK must suffer a little bit” in the Brexit negotiations, the same day Theresa May warned MPs that if her Chequers proposal is not supported in the House of Commons the UK will face a "no deal" Brexit.
Brexit: Angela Merkel wants UK ‘to suffer’ says expert
Appearing on BBC Newsnight, BBC political editor Nick Watt told Kirsty Wark that EU leaders have shown more flexibility in recent weeks, but the UK is still expected to “suffer” in the upcoming negotiations.
Mr Watt said: “The mood music is much better from Michel Barnier and EU leaders.
“The bottom line is that they want a deal but they don’t want a deal at any prize.
“And Angela Merkel has been heard to say in private that the UK must suffer a little bit in these Brexit negotiations.
“They can’t have a sweetheart deal.”
However, according to Mr Watt, EU leaders have been encouraged to some extent by the Chequers proposal.
Mrs May claimed the “alternative” to Chequers was a ‘no deal’ Brexit, during a BBC Panorama interview yesterday.
Mr Watts said: “They think the Prime Minister has taken some serious political risk.”
However he added: “They do have fundamental problems with fundamental elements of Chequers.
“For example, the common rule book on goods, they say that this is trying to split up the four freedoms and if you cannot get agreement on those fundamentals then the EU is saying you need to have a backstop in Northern Ireland.”
While Mrs May’s decision to adopt a binary strategy between the Chequers proposal and ‘no deal’ Brexit may be welcomed by EU leaders, it has been rejected by many MPs.
It comes after a week of mounting pressure within her own party to “chuck Chequers”, as Brexiteers believe the agreement does not deliver on what the British people voted for.
Jacob Rees-Mogg calls May’s Brexit plan ‘Dirty Harry option’
Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told the BBC the Government would be “foolish” to place a Chequers-based agreement with the EU in front of MPs in Parliament, as the they would find the deal had “very little support”.
He said: “This is the sort of Dirty Harry Option, it’s 'come on punk, make my day'.
“How many shots have been fired?
“If you make the wrong choice, consequences could be unpleasant.”