Theresa May: Trump told me to sue the EU - BBC News

July 15, 2018

Theresa May: Trump told me to sue the EU

Theresa May reveals the advice President Trump gave her over Brexit
Donald Trump told Theresa May she should sue the EU rather than negotiate over Brexit, she has told the BBC.

The US president said on Friday at a joint press conference that he had given her a suggestion but she had found it too "brutal".

Asked by the BBC's Andrew Marr what it was he had said, she replied: "He told me I should sue the EU - not go into negotiations."

She defended her blueprint for Brexit and urged her critics to back it.

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She said it would allow the UK to strike trade deals with other nations, end free movement of people and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

A White Paper published on Thursday fleshed out details of her plan, which advocates close links with the EU on trade in goods, but not services.

Before the paper was published, Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned, saying it would not deliver the Brexit people voted for in the 2016 EU referendum.

Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a joint press conference at Chequers.
Mrs May laughed off the president's legal action suggestion, saying she would carry on with negotiations, but added: "Interestingly, what the president also said at that press conference was 'don't walk away'.

"Don't walk away from those negotiations because then you'll be stuck. So I want us to be able to sit down to negotiate the best deal for Britain.

Leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has called the White Paper a "bad deal for Britain". He says it would lead to the UK having to follow EU rules with no say in how they are made.

Donald Trump told the Sun newspaper Mrs May's proposals would "probably kill" a trade deal with his country.

Hours later, however, he said a US-UK trade deal would "absolutely be possible"

Eyes on the prize
Mrs May urged Brexiteers in her own party to "keep their eye on the prize" of Brexit - and said her plan was the only workable way to deliver it.

Her message comes ahead of crucial Commons votes on trade and customs policy in the coming week. with Tory Brexiteers tabling a series of amendments to the legislation.

"Some people are saying they want to vote in the Trade Bill to keep us in the customs union. I say that's not acceptable, " Mrs May told Andrew Marr.

"That's not what the British people voted for.

"Others are saying that perhaps we cannot have the bill at all. That would be damaging to our 'no deal' preparations.

"So let's just keep our eyes on the prize here. The prize is delivering leaving the European Union in a way that's in our national interest."

Mrs May insists her plans would allow the UK to strike its own trade deals, despite agreeing a "common rulebook" with the EU on cross-border trade.

She said such rules were needed to protect jobs in firms with supply chains that crossed borders and deal with the Irish border issue.

Labour Party chairman Ian Lavery said Mrs May's "so-called plan" did not "stand up to scrutiny".

"No-one - not the public, Parliament or the Conservative party - is happy with Theresa May's offer. This has descended into a shambles," he added.