Brexit minister backpedals on benefits promise

Britain’s Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit Secretary), David Davis, has backtracked on his claim that a Brexit deal can deliver the “exact same benefits” as EU membership, now acknowledging it was little more than an ambition.

Davis said Thursday that what the UK achieves in the Brexit talks will be a matter for negotiations with the EU.

Asked about the “exact same benefits” phrase on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Davis said: “I make no apology for being ambitious about what we’re trying to do.”

“The classical approach for a politician during a negotiation is to reduce expectations…that’s what people think is the ‘sophisticated’ way,” he added.

Davis also said insisted the UK Prime Minster Theresa May’s linking of security cooperation to Brexit talks was not a threat to withdraw it from European allies.

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The remarks come a day after the prime minister triggered Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, formally kick-starting the process of leaving the 28-nation bloc.

Launching the process of Britain’s exit from the EU, popularly known as Brexit, was announced by May on Wednesday at the Parliament, after more than 40 years of membership the bloc membership.

On behalf of May, British Ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow delivered a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels on Wednesday to officially notify the EU of Britain's decision to withdraw from the bloc.

The United Kingdom held a referendum last June in which Britons voted by a 52-48 percent margin to leave the EU, the first member state ever to do so.

Brussels is expected to deliver its first response to London on Friday, followed by a summit of EU leaders to adopt their own guidelines, possibly taking weeks before formal talks start.

Several EU leaders including French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel have already expressed their disappointments over the Brexit process.

“EU leaders certainly did not wish for this day,” Merkel said, referring to the UK’s submission of official divorce paper.  “We, the EU, would carry out the upcoming talks in a fair and constructive manner. I hope that the British government will also adopt the same spirit in the negotiations," she added.

“Brexit will be economically painful for Britain," Hollande said.

There is broad consensus among economists that Brexit will have a prolonged effect on the British economy and will ultimately diminish output, jobs and wealth to some degree.

Many business leaders are also concerned about May's decision to leave the EU single market, a free trade area of 500 million people, fearing its impact on jobs and economic growth.

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