The UK should halt its withdrawal from the EU, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s economic advisers have said. The remarks sparked fury among Tory MPs, who claim Germany is more interested in safeguarding its own economic interests than those of the UK.
In their annual report, Germany’s Council of Economic Experts said Brexit should be reversed amid concerns about the “wide-ranging impact” it would have. “Due to the wide-ranging impact of a UK exit from the EU, the council continues to urge that it be prevented,” its report read, according to Bloomberg.
“There is still a risk of an uncontrolled exit and sudden adjustment reactions by economic agents. Conversely, the possibility of the UK staying in the EU can’t be completely excluded,” it continued.
The council suggested that, if Brexit does go ahead, an agreement would be needed to minimize the impact for both sides, meaning a ‘no deal’ situation should be out of the question.
However, Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg responded by saying: “Their interest is that of the German economy, not ours.
Their faux concern merely shows how worried they are about the opportunities Brexit brings. They are only wise in their own conceits."
The advisers added that a one-off extension should be given to negotiations in order for an appropriate deal to be reached, suggesting that Brexit should therefore only come into effect in 2020.
Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith also suggested that Germany should finally get to grips with Britain’s decision to leave the EU, and said: “Surely their remit is to advise Mrs Merkel on German economic policy and their real reason for calling for Brexit to be stopped is not about the UK, but because they worry Brexit will hit Germany hard as we are the second-largest export market for goods.
“Instead they should be telling her to get on with setting free-trade arrangements with the UK to stop damage to the German economy,” Smith said, according to The Sun.
Germany, as well as France, has already expressed its openness to accepting the UK back in the EU if it decided to stay. EU Council President Donald Tusk said last month that the UK could reverse Brexit, but it is entirely down to Theresa May’s cabinet to make that decision.
The remarks come as the European Union gathers to draft a united stance on what they want to see out of Brexit, in a bid to break the current deadlock in negotiations. It is understood that both the UK and the EU want talks on transition and trade to start by December.