Angela Merkel claims Britain must “live with the consequences” of less ties to EU

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has claimed that the United Kingdom will have to “live with the consequences” of Prime Minister Boris Johnson deciding to get rid of Theresa May’s plans to maintain closer economic and political ties with the EU after Brexit.

Merkel was interviewed with a small group of European newspapers, including the Guardian and she said: “We need to let go of the idea that it is for us to define what Britain should want,

“That is for Britain to define – and we, the EU27, will respond appropriately.”

Speaking days before Germany takes over the EU rotating presidency, Merkel said: “With Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the British government wants to define for itself what relationship it will have with us after the country leaves,

“It will then have to live with the consequences, of course, that is to say with a less closely interconnected economy.

“If Britain does not want to have rules on the environment and the labour market or social standards that compare with those of the EU, our relations will be less close. That will mean it does not want standards to go on developing along parallel lines.”

The negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom are just now in deadlock over whether Britain needs to tie itself to the EU’s developing state aid rules and common environmental, social and labour standards in return for a zero-tariff trade deal.

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