Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 16 January 2019 - Strasbourg

The UK’s withdrawal from the EU (debate)

  Guy Verhofstadt, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, let’s be honest, we had hoped for another outcome, but we have known for a few weeks already that this would be the outcome of the vote, and the fact that the betting offices in Britain didn’t take bets on the outcome was already a clear indication of what would happen.

I have to tell you, I’m not so surprised, because, since the outcome of the referendum, British politics, in Downing Street, in Westminster, in Whitehall, has consistently produced majorities against something or other: against membership of the Union, against membership of the single market, against the Customs Union, against the free movement of people, against the Irish backstop … the list is long. In this debate this morning, Mr Kamall, the question is how to break the deadlock, and I had hoped you would give an indication in that regard. You described the situation in Britain, and we can follow it. But how do you break this deadlock? How do you avoid the devastating no-deal scenario?

My answer to that – and I hope you are in agreement with me – is that we need urgently a majority in favour of something, in the House of Commons and in British politics, a majority in the interest of Britain and in the interest of the Union too. And I think that can be achieved if, finally, the political parties in Britain – and I mean all political parties not just the Conservative Party – start to put the interest of the country, the interest of Britain, above their own narrow party political interests. That is the key.

(Applause)

Let me put it differently. That Jeremy Corbyn wants to become Prime Minister of his country is legitimate. That Theresa May wants to remain Prime Minister is legitimate. That the SNP wants to use the situation to have an independent Scotland is legitimate. That the DUP wants to keep the unity of the country is legitimate. All these ambitions that everybody has are legitimate. But what is more important is that they should all come out of the trenches now, that they should transcend the binary system in which they are currently locked, a system that has produced antagonism.

Let’s be honest: Brexit started as a catfight inside the Conservative Party on the back of the European Union. That was the start of the whole discussion. But today it is something completely different. It is no longer a catfight inside the Conservative Party, it is an existential problem for Britain, a problem of Britain’s future and Britain’s souls. So it’s not a catfight anymore. I know it’s not up to me as a humble Belgian to lecture the Brits on what to do, but I think it’s time now to tell our British friends that, for the sake of Britain itself, it’s time for cross-party cooperation in Britain, as we have had here in this Parliament from day one.

It is time to define what the new relationship between the UK and EU must be and to redefine, too, the red lines – that have, in fact, been imposed unilaterally from the beginning by what I will call the ‘hardliners’ in the Conservative Party. We in the European Union, I can tell you honestly, are ready for a deeper future relationship, even deeper than what is envisaged, Michel, in the Political Declaration, and you confirmed that a few minutes ago. And, if there is a cross-party majority in the House of Commons to go in the direction of a deeper relationship, we are ready to engage fully in order to obtain that and to make it happen.

But there are two small warnings that I want to give. First of all, what we will not let happen, deal or no deal, is that the controversy in British politics is now imported into European politics. While we understand that the UK can have, and needs, more time, I think it would be a bad thing to go with Article 50 beyond European election day. That would only prolong uncertainty for businesses and for people.

My second warning concerns the interests of our citizens, EU citizens and UK citizens alike. Deal or no deal, Mr President, we will do everything in our power to safeguard their rights – rights provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement – and, if necessary, together with our Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, we will engage directly with the House of Commons, with the Home Office Select Committee, to secure those rights, because no citizens should ever be the victims of party political games such as those we see around Brexit today.

(Applause)