EU WHAT?
Irish PM Leo Varadkar warns Boris Johnson Britain ‘is now a small country’ and will have ‘weak position’ in trade talks
THE IRISH Prime Minister has warned Boris Johnson that Britain is "now a small country" and that the EU will have the upper hand in trade talks.
In a move sure to spark fury among Brexiteers, Leo Varadkar claimed the bloc is in a much better position because of its larger population and market.
3
Currently fighting a general election, the Taoiseach spoke to the BBC ahead of meeting with the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, in Dublin.
"I don't think the UK has yet come to terms with the fact it's now a small country," he said.
He added: “The European Union is a union of 27 member states. The UK is only one country.
“And we have a population and a market of 450 million people.
"The UK, it's about 60 (million). So if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team?"
He also laughed off claims from the Prime Minister that he’d be able to deliver a bumper trade deal by the end of the year.
Disagreeing with Mr Johnson’s insistence there is “bags of time”, Mr Varadkar warned: "it will be difficult to do this".
He also warned against any attempt by the UK to broker parts of a deal over time.
"When I hear people talk about piecemeal, it sounds a bit like cake and eat," he said.
"That isn't something that will fly in Europe."
Despite Brexit being less than a week away, Irish prime minister also suggested it could be bad and the UK will come rushing back.
He made the comments after a meeting with EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Dublin.
The 41-year-old said: "On Friday, the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union, we'll say goodbye to an old friend embarking on an adventure.
"We hope it works out for them. But if it does not, there will always be a seat kept for them at the table."
3
3
The same conference saw Mr Barnier warn the Prime Minister faced a race against time to get a trade deal done.
He said: "This time it is very short, (we) have no time to lose in any politics. I always worked with everybody in UK with respect and I will continue.”
Mr Barnier said if no agreement was reached by the end of the year it "cannot be business as usual".
He added: "We are to face a risk of a cliff edge, in particular for trade.
"We will use this time maintaining our line, protecting our interests, our principles and always willing to build the strong and ambitious partnership.”
Hugh Grant reiterates that Brexit means the country is 'finished' in a movie junket
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
MOST READ IN
Topics