Goerge Osborne: Brexit talks with the EU will be “bitter”
In a rare intervention, former chancellor George Osborne has predicted the government faces "bitter" talks when it gets around the negotiating table with the EU.
Speaking as MPs debated the passage of a Bill granting Prime Minister Theresa May the power to launch divorce proceedings, Osborne said the government had not "put the economy first" in the aftermath of the referendum.
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"The government has chosen – and I respect this decision – not to make the economy the priority in this negotiation. They've prioritised immigration control," he said, adding that European leaders were similarly unfocused on the economy.
"While they understand that Britain is a very important market for their businesses, their priority is to maintain the integrity of the remaining 27 members of the EU. They are not interested in a long and complex hybrid agreement with the UK," Osborne said.
"It's going to be, I suspect, rather bitter."
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Osborne's comments came ahead of a vote among MPs on the progress of the Bill, expected later this evening.
The former chancellor said if MPs to reject the Bill, it will present the UK with a constitutional crisis. But he added parliament now faces a series of important questions on topics like immigration and state aid.
He also sounded a warning: "I will be in those fights in the couple of years ahead."