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RED BOX | COMMENT

The EU has every right to reject this shabby offer

The Times

The issue of the rights of EU citizens is extremely important but the government’s inability to find an agreement with the EU could scupper the entire negotiations.

In any dramatic change in international relationships, outside of war, all parties are keen to ensure their citizens come to no harm. It is also partly a question of mutual goodwill. Despite the rantings of some of the wilder Tory MPs, we are not at war with the EU.

The EU negotiators have made it clear that the issue of citizens’ rights, along with the “divorce bill” and the status of the Irish border, must be settled in the autumn before significant negotiations can begin on transitional arrangements and the shape of any future UK-EU trade deal.

But