Brexit today - as it happened: Guy Verhofstadt hopes to 'conclude' citizens rights issue in coming weeks after Theresa May meeting
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Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, has said he hopes the issue of citizens' rights after Brexit can be concluded in the coming weeks.
His comments came after a meeting with senior ministers and Theresa May in Downing Street on Tuesday, in which “useful” progress had been made.
Mr Verhofstadt also said the UK economy will benefit from sticking as closely as possible to EU rules after Brexit.
He told reporters outside Downing Street: “I think it's possible that in the coming days and weeks we make progress on this [citizens' rights] we can conclude.”
But he warned that the European Parliament will not accept any deal on citizens’ rights that involves discrimination against people who come to the UK during the transition period.
Earlier on Tuesday, the French economy minister Bruno Le Marie said there had to be a “good deal” with the UK, but the City of London and the financial sector would have to rely on an equivalence regime.
The Independent’s Political Editor Joe Watts attended the Lobby briefing with the PM’s spokesman earlier, which focussed on the unfolding story around the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
Theresa May’s spokesman was being tight-lipped about the Government’s approach to the incident in Salisbury, saying that police should be left alone to establish the facts.
But it’s pretty clear from the official line that there is a special interest being taken in the case from the top.
The PM’s spokesman told journalists: “All relevant departments including Number 10 are being kept informed of developments as you would expect.
“But this is an on-going investigation that’s being led by police. Anything else is an operational matter for them.”
The “as you would expect” ending the first sentence is slightly out of place here. Downing Street does not get updated and informed on every police investigation that takes place, so there is clearly a particular significance being placed on this one.
In a further sign that they do not want to jump the gun however, the spokesman would not even detail which “relevant departments” are being kept updated.
With Boris Johnson set to give a statement on the UK’s approach to Russia in the Commons today they are likely to include the Foreign Office, and also the Home Office, which has responsibility for MI5, given Skripal’s background.
May has taken a tough line on Russia in the past and it looks like the PM simply wants her ducks in a row before venturing to double-down on the criticism in relation to this new case.
Over in the Commons, Boris Johnson is responding to an urgent question on the UK Government's policy towards Russia.
Referring to the poisoning of Sergie Skripal he says that while he is not pointing any figures at this stage, he adds: "I say to government's around the world that no attempt to take innocent life on UK soil will go unsanctioned or unpunished".
Guy Verhofstadt is speaking to reporters outside Downing Street - he says he's had "useful" conversations with the PM and ministers.
He says it's time to "conclude" the issue of citizens' rights... and urges a "very simple procedure" after Brexit and transition.
"I think it's possible that in the coming days and weeks we make progress on this and we can conclude," he says.
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