AS welcomes go, it couldn’t be any briefer – and it included a thinly veiled message on Brexit.
European Council president Donald Tusk (pictured right) yesterday sent his official congratulations to new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson – all 49 words of it.
Addressed both to “Mr Johnson” and “Boris”, it stated: “On behalf of the European Council, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I look forward to meeting you to discuss – in detail – our co-operation.”
The two sentences suggested a keenness to drill down on the fine points of the UK withdrawal deal after Johnson, appearing outside Downing Street, insisted the October 31 exit deadline will be met.
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Earlier, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier (pictured) said he did not know what Johnson’s plan was, telling journalists: “We look forward to hearing what the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants, what are the choices of the UK.
“The no-deal Brexit will never be the choice of the EU, but we are prepared and for an orderly Brexit. We will work along the next few weeks or months with the new UK Government in the best possible way, in the very constructive spirit to facilitate the ratification of the withdrawal agreement.”
Barnier said he had met “clever” Johnson once, stating this was a “very particular moment” during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, adding of the EU team: “we will work, we are ready.”
However, in a statement after an “extraordinary” meeting on the new PM, MEPs in the EU’s Brexit steering group, led by Belgium’s Guy Verhofstadt, warned comments made during the Tory leadership campaign “have greatly increased the risk of a disorderly exit of the UK”.
Verhofstadt said: “Politicised language from the Conservative leadership raising the spectre of a no-deal Brexit is unhelpful, irresponsible and only increases the risks of a catastrophic severance, which could destabilise the global economy.
“We are united in the view that a no-deal exit will not be mitigated by any form of arrangements or mini-deals between the EU and the UK.
“Boris Johnson will find the European Parliament an open and constructive partner. I look forward to alleviating Mr Johnson’s concerns regarding the imminent accession of Turkey to the EU, following the claims of the Leave campaign, whilst explaining the EU has no rules on the packaging of kippers in the UK.”
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That came after the European Commission warned the new PM’s mooted post-Brexit tax haven “free ports” could be a money laundering risk and barrier to a trade deal. A report issued on Wednesday said deregulated zones, such as those used in developing countries, could also be used to fund terrorism.
But Johnson did get a warmer response from some. Spanish president Pedro Sanchez tweeted that he is “looking forward to working closely” with Johnsons, adding: “Our countries are both partners and friends. We will continue to co-operate on the international scene and Brexit, for the benefit of the British and Spanish people.”
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