- Title: UK's Mr Brexit says no vacancy for ambassador to United States
- Date: 22nd November 2016
- Summary: STRASBOURG, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 22, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EU MEMBER STATES FLAGS OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE IN CHARGE OF EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION, DAVID DAVIS, WALKING INSIDE PARLIAMENT VARIOUS OF DAVIS TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE IN CHARGE OF EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION, DAVID DAVIS, SAYING: "Well we've got a very good ambassador, Kim Darroch, who's the current ambassador there, he's going to be there for years. He used to work with me in the European Union days of old. He's very good, he's a brilliant ambassador and he's going to stay there." DAVID TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE IN CHARGE OF EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION, DAVID DAVIS, SAYING: "We will start the negotiations once we've served our Article 50 letter but it's important to understand... first to know each other, meet each other, get to trust each other and secondly to understand the structure. So for example Guy (Verhofstadt, Member of the European Parliament delegated to negotiate UK's exit of the EU), I explained in great detail how we're approaching it, how we're drawing up our policies, what the categories are and he was very helpful it terms of the way the institutional structure will work, how the interplay between the parliament and the commission and the council will work." DAVIS TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE IN CHARGE OF EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION, DAVID DAVIS, SAYING: "There'll be a letter in March and that's the point. One of the things we are very careful about is we're going to deal with this systematically. There are issues relating to migration, issues relating to security, issues relating to law, issues relating to the market. And all of those before we initiate the proper negotiations -- all of those, we will be very clear about, we will have worked out all of the implications both for ourselves and as far as we can for the European Union. You see, we want this to be a success for the United Kingdom and a success for the European Union." DAVIS TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE IN CHARGE OF EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION, DAVID DAVIS, SAYING: "What we're after is that which is in the interest of the Union and in the interest of the United Kingdom- trading interests, business, manufacturing, services -- and the aim is to make it as open as possible. We have said it before and that's the clear overarching aim." DAVIS TALKING TO MEDIA DAVIS WALKING IN EU PARLIAMENT CORRIDOR
- Embargoed: 7th December 2016 10:44
- Keywords: David Davis Brexit Nigel Farage EU referendum Strasbourg European Parliament Britain Donald Trump
- Location: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- City: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00159J0ZT3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Britain's Brexit Secretary David Davis said on Tuesday (November 22) there was no vacancy for the job of ambassador to Washington as the incumbent was very good.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said many people would like to see Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage as British ambassador to Washington.
"Well we've got a very good ambassador, Kim Darroch, who's the current ambassador there, he's going to be there for years. He used to work with me in the European Union days of old. He's very good, he's a brilliant ambassador and he's going to stay there," Davis said while visiting the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said in a column for the Breitbart website that he was in a good position to help Britain build ties with Donald Trump.
Earlier in the morning, Davis met with the European Parliament's new Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt to discuss UK's exit of the Union after Britain voted to leave in a June 23 referendum.
"I explained in great detail how we're approaching it, how we're drawing up our policies, what the categories are and he was very helpful it terms of the way the institutional structure will work, how the interplay between the parliament and the commission and the council will work," Davis said.
Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and leading supporter of closer EU integration, was appointed by party leaders last week to represent the parliament in negotiations on Brexit. He said at a news conference after meeting Davis that the EU legislature will not accept giving Britain access to Europe's single market if it blocks free access to EU immigrants. But Davis said Britain's goal was to strike a deal that would be in the interest both of the Union and the Kingdom.
"What we're after is that which is in the interest of the Union and in the interest of the United Kingdom- trading interests, business, manufacturing, services -- and the aim is to make it as open as possible. We have said it before and that's the clear overarching aim," he said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty to start the formal divorce talks by the end of March, and EU officials have said there can be no pre-negotiations on their future ties before then.
May and her government are hoping to negotiate a "bespoke" deal with the EU - one that will allow Britain to control immigration from the bloc but also protect trade.
But EU officials have ruled out allowing Britain to "cherry pick" the elements of the union that it wants with none of the responsibilities, such as honouring freedom of movement. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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