BREXIT BOOST: Top German politician warns Brussels NOT to punish Britain for leaving EU
A LEADING German politician has warned Brussels not to punish Britain for its historic decision to quit the European Union.
Bavarian finance minister says he doesn't want Britain punished
In a boost to Theresa May’s negotiating hand, Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soder argued there should be “no sanctions” as the UK’s economy is equivalent to “20 smaller countries”.
The Christian Social Union member was speaking as Eurocrats insisted Britain must pay a divorce bill before trade talks can begin.
The potential figure has been reported at about £50billion to cover commitments the UK has already agreed to, including payments towards EU bigwigs’ pension pots.
However, Mr Soder, who belongs to Angela Merkel’s sister party, offered a helping hand to Britain ahead of the forth coming negotiations.
Markus Soder warned Brussels against punished Britain over Brexit
Europe is not Europe without Great Britain
“This has a big political impact, Europe is not Europe without Great Britain,” he told German talk show Maischberger.
“The history of the continent has always been linked with the history of Great Britain.
“That has a huge economic impact, if you add it up it is like 20 smaller countries that we have in the EU in terms of their economy.
“For Germany, there will be a big impact, when you think about exports, for Bavaria especially when you think about the car industry.”
Markus Soder said Europe was 'nothing' without Great Britain
The prime minister has expressed opposition to the UK paying a £50bn divorce bill but is yet to rule out whether the UK will stump up such cost.
In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, hours after triggering Article 50, Mrs May said: “The UK is a law-abiding nation and we will look at the rights and obligations that we have”.
She argued Britain may “wish” to continue to pay “particular programmes” within the EU as “it would be in the national interests to do that”.
May refuses to rule out whether Britain will pay Brexit bill
The Bavarian minister, however, insisted there must be no punishment for the Brits’ decision to leave the Brussels club.
“Britain was always a stabilising factor in Europe,” he continued. “When it came to how we spend our money for example, compared to the ideas of southern countries.
“That’s why I really regret this and I don’t wish for any sanctions or that we negotiate really hard and try to punish the British.
“We have to be smart about how we go about this because Europe will still be there and Great Britain will still belong to Europe.”
Angela Merkel said Britain must settle the divorce bill
Hours after the prime minister began the official leave process on Wednesday, Mrs Merkel, the German chancellor, remained adamant the bill would have to be settled before trade talks could start.
Speaking in Berlin, she said: “The negotiations must first clarify how we will disentangle our interlinked relationship... and only when this question is dealt with, can we, hopefully soon after, begin talking about our future relationship."