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Prime Minister Theresa May, who quietly opposed Brexit ahead of
the referendum, has formally notified the bloc of Britain’s
intention to leave and divorce talks are under way.
A botched gamble on a snap election in June undermined May's
authority inside her own Conservative Party and some EU
diplomats say the British negotiating stance remains both
unrealistic and unclear.
O'Neill, who coined the term 'BRIC' in 2001 to describe how the
economic clout of Brazil, Russia, India and China would
challenge the West's dominance, told BBC radio that divisions
inside the Conservatives were driving Brexit policy.
"The divisions between our political parties, particularly
inside the ruling Conservative one, continue to dominate the
policy discussion and it is very unfortunate and I wish it would
change," said O'Neill.
In the June 23, 2016 referendum, voters in the United Kingdom
backed leaving the EU by a margin of 51.9 percent to 48.1
percent.
O'Neill, who resigned from his job as a Treasury minister in
May's government a year ago, said that the British negotiators'
attempt to cherry pick an exit deal was unrealistic.
"The last thing the EU wants for a big country to leave and for
there to be no consequences because at some point there would be
others that might think: 'Well if it's that easy and you can get
away from the worst bits but keep the good bits, then I'll have
some of that too'," he said.
"It frequently seems our negotiators don't seem to appreciate
that," O‘Neill said.
May says she will make Brexit a success and that she hopes the
EU will agree to a deal that allows both sides to continue to
trade as freely as possible.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden)
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