German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
Germany welcomed a draft agreement between Brussels and London on Britain’s exit from the European Union.
“I am very pleased that the chief negotiators of the EU and Great Britain has reached a preliminary agreement in Brexit negotiations,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter.
“After months of uncertainty we finally have a clear signal from the Great Britain on how an orderly withdrawal can proceed,” he added.
Maas underlined that Germany would continue to support very close relations between the U.K. and EU after the Brexit.
British Prime Minister Theresa May announced the agreement after a five-hour Cabinet meeting Wednesday.
The EU accepted the idea of whole-U.K. customs union with the bloc in a major concession to please U.K.'s demands to protect its territorial integrity, according to local media.
Full details of the deal are expected Thursday with May’s statement to the parliament.
The U.K. is set to leave the EU next March.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said her draft Brexit deal delivered on the outcome of a 2016 vote to leave the European Union, and that her government would never hold a second public vote on the subject."We will not rerun the referendum, we will not renege on the decision of the British people," she said. "We will deliver Brexit and the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union on the 29th of March 2019." London rally urges second vote on BrexitEU Commission says could make Brexit statement soonUK PM May faces a fight to seal Brexit deal
UK PM May: Our deal delivers Brexit, there will be no second referendum
As the government appeared to finalize a draft Brexit agreement, thousands have rallied in London for a second referendum on EU membership.The event late Tuesday at the Hall of Westminster near parliament was organized by the pro-EU movements the People’s Vote campaign and Best for Britain, and up to 3,000 people packed the rafters, according to event organizers.The rally emphasized the need for a people’s vote on the final deal between London and Brussels, including an option on the ballot to remain in the EU under the existing terms.Among the guest MP speakers were Jo Johnson and Dominic Grieve of the Conservative Party and David Lammy of the Labour Party.“It’s clear people are not buying it and don’t want this dodgy Brexit deal!” comedian Andy Parsons told the energetic crowd.Leading the crowd in chanting “We the people demand a people’s vote!” Parsons also said that young people from all over the country will lose the most from Brexit and so feel alienated from the political parties in parliament.The event also featured an unexpected special guest, former footballer Gary Lineker, who was met with loud cheers and a standing ovation when he walked onto the stage.“I think it’s fair to say that back then we didn’t really know what it would entail, the ramifications of leaving the European Union,” Lineker said of the 2016 EU referendum, adding: “It’s becoming clear that there are very few positives. It’s almost unanimous that people think it will have some sort of debilitating effect on our economy, at the very least.”Jo Johnson, the Conservative MP who resigned from government last week, also encouraged a people’s vote, arguing that Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal was not what the people voted for and that agreeing to such a deal would endanger U.K. democracy.Johnson, the brother of ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, argued that it is becoming increasingly clear “we weren’t going to get a deal in the national interest” to leave the EU, blasting the false “fantastical promises” that convinced many that Britain should leave.Also speaking at the event was Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general and pro-EU Conservative MP, who said: “We should keep open the possibility that people may change their minds about the decision they made.”Grieve had pushed, unsuccessfully, to give parliament more of a say over the process.There have been growing calls for a people’s vote, or second referendum, on the final withdrawal that has yet to be agreed on between the U.K. and the EU, as well as parliament itself. May has repeatedly said that there will be no second referendum.May on Wednesday called a special Cabinet meeting after having reportedly finalized a Brexit withdrawal agreement with Brussels.
London rally urges second vote on Brexit
The European Commission and its Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier could make a statement on negotiations with Britain as early as Wednesday, the EU executive's chief spokesman said.Margaritis Schinas declined, however, to confirm to reporters that, as the British government and EU officials have said, a draft treaty had been agreed by civil servants.Barnier's deputy Sabine Weyand would brief EU national envoys in Brussels, Schinas said, as Prime Minister Theresa May consults her cabinet from 1400 GMT on the deal in London.Barnier must declare that "decisive progress" has been made toward an agreement in order for European Council President Donald Tusk to call the 27 other national leaders to a summit that would give the EU's political endorsement to a treaty.EU diplomats expect that, if May secures the backing of her fractious cabinet and there is no major objection from the EU envoys, then Barnier decide as early as late Wednesday afternoon to recommend the summit is called. Many also expect such a summit to be scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 25.EU ministers would discuss the accord at a meeting in Brussels on Monday and advisers to the 27 national leaders, known as sherpas, would meet on Wednesday to prepare the summit.The biggest question mark over the deal -- unpublished details of which Reuters has reported here -- is whether, even if May's cabinet backs it, she can then get it through a parliament in which her minority government faces fierce criticism from both supporters and opponents of Brexit. UK PM May faces a fight to seal Brexit deal
EU Commission says could make Brexit statement soon