'Let me FINISH!' Amber Rudd SNAPS at Sky News host over PM's 'threat' to EU security
AMBER Rudd snapped at Sky News host Adam Boulton as she was grilled over Theresa May’s apparent threat to weaken security commitments to the European Union (EU) if Britain is denied a trade deal.
Amber Rudd LOSES IT as she’s grilled over May’s ‘security threat’ to EU
The Home Secretary appeared to lose her cool as she ordered Boulton to “listen” in a heated row in response to the Prime Minister’s Article 50 letter.
Earlier today, Mrs May warned Brussels that failure to reach an agreement by 2019 would mean cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be “weakened” as she formally triggered the legal Brexit process.
In her message to Donald Tusk, the European Council president, she added: “Weakening our cooperation for the prosperity and protection of our citizens would be a costly mistake.”
The stance has been condemned as “utterly scandalous” by Tim Farron, who accused the Prime Minister of “lumping together” trade and security as a “blatant threat”.
Now let me finish!
Ms Rudd, however, rebuked the claim, insisting no direct link, or threat, had been made.
She told Boulton: “These are two separate pillars, they are two separate sentences, on the one hand, there is the economic deal, which she says in that part of the letter…”
Before she could finish her response, Boulton, brandishing a script to the camera, fired in: “No, look, I’m quoting, she says: ‘In security terms, a failure to reach an agreement would [with reference to World Trade Organisation terms] mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened’.
“It’s not me linking them, it’s her linking them and I’m asking you why?”
The Home Secretary responded: “Again Adam, I’m sorry to disappoint you but I reject that, there are two separate items here, one is on the economy, the other is on security.”
“It’s one paragraph!” Bolton shouted.
Becoming visibly agitated, Ms Rudd snapped: “Now let me finish! It’s the same paragraph, but it’s not in the same sentence.
“The point about security is that the security of the UK and the security of Europe would be weakened if we don’t have an agreement.
“That’s accepted by us because we are more secure by having the arrangements that we have with the European Union and it is this Government’s intention to enter agreements with the European Union where we can have those sorts of arrangements.
“They will be different, but they will have the same sorts of benefits. We want to have an agreement under the Justice and Home Affairs agreement.”
Tim Farron: May's letter is laced with threats that are unhelpful
Mrs May’s comments have already caused a stir among Eurocrats including the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt.
Speaking on behalf on MEPs on Wednesday afternoon, he said: “What we shall never accept is that there is a trade-off between the one and other.
“Saying, oh, we can do a good deal on security – internal and external – but there is also a deal that we want on trade and economics.
“I think the security of our citizens is far too important to start a trade off from one to the other. From our point of view, both are absolutely necessary.”