Brexit secretary admits EU now 'in control' of UK's departure from bloc

Ahead of key EU summit, Stephen Barclay says Brussels now has upper hand but claims: 'That's a consequence of parliament, not the government'

The EU is now "in control" of Brexit because parliament has "refused" to approve the government's exit deal, Stephen Barclay has said.

As Theresa May prepares to head to Brussels to try to stop the EU imposing a long delay to Brexit, the Brexit secretary accused parliament of "refusing to honour the referendum result" and said this meant control of the process had been handed Brussels.

The prime minister will seek to persuade the EU to extend the Article 50 process until 30 June when she attends the emergency European Council meeting on Wednesday afternoon. European leaders are expected to instead insist on a longer delay with the option of the UK leaving earlier if parliament approves a withdrawal deal.

On Tuesday, Ms May's Commons partners in the DUP said her latest talks with EU leaders were "humiliating and embarrassing for the United Kingdom".

Mr Barclay admitted the EU was now in charge of negotiations but said MPs were to blame.

Asked if the bloc was now "in control" of the Brexit process, he told BBC Radio 4's Today: "They are, because we had a vote in parliament a couple of Fridays ago where we had the right under the previous agreement to leave on 22 May if parliament had passed the withdrawal agreement.

"The fact is that once again parliament refused to agree to the withdrawal agreement, even though ironically most of the concerns were with the future arrangement and not with the withdrawal agreement."

Asked again about his admission that the EU had taken control of talks, he said: "That's a consequence of parliament, not the government. The government has agreed a deal with the EU. It is parliament that has forced this on the government.

He added: "It is parliament that is refusing to actually honour the referendum result...The reason that we have to go back [to Brussels] today is not because of the prime minister, it is because parliament once again refused to vote for the withdrawal agreement."

MPs' refusal to back her plan forced Ms May to seek talks with Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to break the deadlock in parliament.

Negotiations between the two parties will continue on Thursday as they seek a cross-party solution to the current crisis.

Mr Barclay admitted the talks were "difficult" and that "both sides of the House need to compromise" but insisted discussions were being conducted "in good faith". However, he appeared to rule out the possibility of the government agreeing to Labour's demand for a permanent customs union with the EU, saying such an outcome would be "illogical".

He said: "I don't think a permanent customs union is a good way forward. We have actually negotiated something better in the political declaration.

"We can have the benefits of a customs union with a trade policy and that is what we've already agreed. It would be slightly illogical to agree a position different to that."

The Brexit secretary refused to rule out resigning if Ms May agrees to a long extension to Article 50, saying: "I don't want to see a delay for up to a year, but the key with any delay is we're able to terminate it once we've ratified [the withdrawal agreement] in order that we can then get on and get a deal through parliament, ratify that agreement and leave the EU.

"That's what the EU leaders want, it's what the prime minister wants - the prime minister is clear that the best way forward is to have a short extension to 30 June. If there were to be an extension beyond that then it has to be one that is terminable."

He hit out at MPs who "stood on manifestos promising to leave, who voted to trigger Article 50, [but] are frustrating that vote because three out of four of them personally voted to remain".

Mr Barclay was speaking hours after the DUP criticised Ms May's talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron ahead of the emergency European Council summit.

DUP Westminster Nigel Dodds said: "The talks between the prime minister and the leaders of France and Germany is humiliating and embarrassing for the United Kingdom.

"The problems the prime minister is attempting to solve were not created by the decision to leave the European Union, rather the ineffective negotiations by the prime minister to implement that decision.

He added: "Nearly three years after the referendum the UK is today effectively holding out a begging bowl to European leaders."