European Parliament to demand deal be made legally binding '˜ASAP'

The Parliament’s chief Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said suggestions from David Davis that the agreement was not binding had undermined trust in the UK among MEPs.

Mr Verhofstadt suggested that MEPs would like to bring forward moves to make the deal legally binding.

“Remarks by David Davis that phase one deal last week not binding were unhelpful and undermine trust,” he said in a tweet.

“European Parliament text will now reflect this and insist agreement translated into legal text ASAP.”

In the wake of Mr Verhofstadt’s comments, DUP MEP Mrs Dodds said the focus should now be on moving forward with phase two of the negotiations,

In a statement, she told the News Letter: “Whilst some people have placed a great deal of focus on the words of Guy Verhofstadt, the power in these negotiations lies with the European Commission and Council and not the Parliament.

“Whilst Mr Verhofstadt may claim he is attempting to strengthen last week’s deal, he is in effect attempting to unpick the text which also states that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”

UUP MEP Jim Nicholson MEP warned the European Parliament against “grandstanding and megaphone diplomacy”.

He added that many EU leaders would find Mr Verhofstadt’s latest remarks “most unhelpful”.

“There are some in the Parliament who almost seem unhappy that an agreement on phase one was made,” he said.

“Mr Verhofstadt and his ‘steering group’ have clearly been trying to play ‘bad cop’ in the negotiations thus far and I suspect that may continue.

“Both the United Kingdom and the European Union will benefit from a deep and comprehensive trade agreement. This can only be achieved by working together, with cool heads.”

In a TV interview on Sunday, Mr Davis appeared to suggest that the UK could seek to alter agreements on divorce issues including the Irish border, citizens’ rights and the UK’s £39 billion financial settlement, saying the deal was “much more a statement of intent than it was a legally enforceable thing”.

The European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas later confirmed that the joint report published last week by Mr Davis and EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was “not legally binding” until it is incorporated in a formal Article 50 Withdrawal Agreement.

But asked if it was possible for either side to back down on it, Mr Schinas stressed that it was regarded in Brussels as “a deal between gentlemen” which was “fully backed” by the UK Government.