EU chief Juncker says UK debate will not change Brexit deal

EU chief Juncker says UK debate will not change Brexit deal
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told EU lawmakers Wednesday that the legally binding withdrawal agreement agreed to late last year "remains the best and only deal possible." (Reuters)
Updated 30 January 2019
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EU chief Juncker says UK debate will not change Brexit deal

EU chief Juncker says UK debate will not change Brexit deal
  • Juncker says he remains open to talking with May
  • British lawmakers voted Tuesday night to send May back to Brussels to seek a better exit deal

BRUSSELS: The chief of the European Union's executive arm says the Brexit deal the EU reached with Prime Minister Theresa May is the only deal on offer to Britain and will not be changed.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told EU lawmakers Wednesday that the legally binding withdrawal agreement agreed to late last year "remains the best and only deal possible."
Juncker says he remains open to talking with May and "I will listen to her ideas, but I will also be extremely clear about the position of the European Union."
Juncker said: "The debate and votes in the House of Commons yesterday do not change that. The withdrawal agreement will not be negotiated."
British lawmakers voted Tuesday night to send May back to Brussels to seek a better exit deal.
He said London's view of what needs revising in the agreement is still unclear to him, the likelihood of Britain leaving without a deal has increased since Tuesday's votes in the British Parliament.