UK's last European commissioner warns against second Brexit referendum
Britain’s last European commissioner Sir Julian King warns against holding a second Brexit referendum as he quits his role and Ursula von der Leyen takes over from Jean-Claude Juncker at the top of the EU
- Sir Julian King is due to be Britain’s last ever European commissioner in Brussels
- New EU Commission starts Monday and UK has not nominated a replacement
- Boris Johnson refused to put forward candidate due to January 31 Brexit date
- Sir Julian said people should be ‘careful what you wish for’ on second Brexit vote
Britain’s last ever European commissioner has warned against holding a second Brexit referendum as he stepped down from his role in Brussels.
Sir Julian King is due to be the UK’s last ever representative in the European Commission with Britain due to leave the bloc on January 31.
A new commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen will formally start work on Monday after Jean-Claude Juncker’s five year administration came to a close.
Ms von der Leyen has repeatedly pushed Boris Johnson to nominate a replacement for Sir Julian but the Prime Minister has refused on the grounds the UK will soon leave the EU.
That means Sir Julian should be the final European commissioner sent to Brussels by Downing Street – assuming there is not another Brexit delay.
Sir Julian King is stepping down as Britain’s European commissioner with a new commission due to start work on Monday
Sir Julian is expected to be the UK’s last ever European commissioner after Boris Johnson refused to nominate a successor
Sir Julian used an interview with the Sunday Telegraph as he left office to caution against holding a second referendum on Brexit.
He said: ‘If it happens then you just need to be a little bit careful what you wish for.
‘Stopping or even reversing a divorce is not the same as starting the honeymoon again.’
Sir Julian also insisted it would be possible for Mr Johnson to secure a trade deal with the EU by the end of the Brexit transition period.
That transition period is due to last until the end of 2020 and Sir Julian said that while ‘trade negotiations are inherently very difficult’ it would be possible to ‘do something in a year’.
‘You can have a deal in a year,’ he said. ‘The question is what is in it.’
Sir Julian was nominated as the UK’s commissioner by David Cameron back in July 2016 which meant he joined Mr Juncker’s commission part of the way through his five-year term.
He said he had ‘got lucky with Jean-Claude Juncker’ and Brussels would ‘miss him when he is gone’.
Ursula von der Leyen, the new European Commission president, will start in her new role on Monday. She is pictured in Brussels today at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the Lisbon Treaty and the start of a new EU Institutional Cycle
Ms von der Leyen was joined at today’s event by the new president of the European Central Bank, the president of the European Council Charles Michel and president of the European Parliament David Sassoli
‘He is not a modern manager but he is very human and one of the things I will miss I guess is regular hugs and the occasional kiss,’ Sir Julian said.
Sir Julian also insisted the EU is not ‘anti-UK’ but does try to ‘defend, protect and promote’ its own interests.
The European Commission is the part of the Brussels machine that actually comes up with draft laws while also enforcing EU rules.
Every member state has a commissioner and they are supposed to serve five year terms.
Source: Read Full Article