A group of 81 British lawmakers have written to European Union President Donald Tusk to demand an agreement is reached on rights for Britons living in the EU and for Europeans in the U.K. before Brexit talks are formally opened.
The letter asks Tusk to add reciprocal rights for citizens to the agenda for a European leaders meeting on Dec. 15 and claims there is agreement across most EU states on the issue. Michel Barnier, who will lead negotiations for the EU, infuriated the group when he insisted talks cannot start on any aspect of Brexit until triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which formally starts the process of exiting the bloc. “No negotiation without notification,” Barnier tweeted on Nov. 21.
“Michel Barnier’s intransigence is inhumane. It is only compounded by the petulance of his recent tweet,” Steve Baker, a Conservative lawmaker and one of the letter’s signatories, said in an e-mailed statement. “He should apologize and immediately agree in principle the continuation of reciprocal rights for resident U.K. and EU citizens.”
Britain doesn't understand that they are one country in the EU. The pain of Brexit is going to be concentrated there, and diffuse everywhere else. Sure other countries have citizens who are residents of Britain, but it's a relatively small number for each country. With every single "good" thing Britain wishes to retain, they have much more to lose than any other single country, all of which can essentially veto any proposal. Really don't think all the demanding and insulting and whiny ass titty babying is going to solve this.