British MEPs using Brussels’ best curry in a bid to sweeten Brexit negotiations
TORY MEPs have been given orders from Theresa May to sweet-talk their European counterparts in Brussels and Strasbourg and treat them to the cities’ best curries.
The 751-strong European Parliament will be the last body to vote on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and the Government needs all the help it can get as Brexit talks appear to stall.
But 10 hand-picked members of the chamber have reportedly been currying favour with MEPs from across the continent.
The Conservative’s leader in Brussels, Ashley Fox, has reportedly been seen entertaining his European colleagues over tikka and naans at La Porte des Indes, widely regarded as the best Indian restaurant in the city.
But in the UK, Brexit may be a sore point for many curry chefs. In the run-up to the campaign, prominent Leave figures such as Priti Patel promised a vote to leave would “save our curry houses”.
Record immigration figures meant the Government had been forced to put controls on non-EU migrants to balance numbers.
But senior figures representing Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants across the UK have since said they have been “betrayed” by politicians’ pledged.
Celebrity chef Oli Khan, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA), which represents 12,000 restaurants and take-aways in the UK, said: “It’s still early days but nothing is happening.
Hammond confirms that Brexit will mean exit from single market
“We are very worried that they have given us a false hope. We feel really betrayed by the Leave campaigners. They have actually used us to win the referendum.”
And Bajloor Rashid, president of the UK-Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce and Industry, said in November: “Priti Patel and other people said we would have people to work in the restaurants. They did not honour it. We feel very let down.”
It comes amid cabinet disagreement on Brexit and fresh demands for Britain to pay Brussels a divorce bill.
International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said this week there was no agreement on a Brexit transition deal.
Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested the UK could enter a three-year transition deal with Brussels to avoid a Brexit “cliff-edge”, with reports suggesting this was the consensus among the Cabinet.
And Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel has said the UK must honour its historic “commitment” and pay the EU a divorce bill in excess of £50billion.