European Union negotiators must decide whether they want a Brexit deal that prioritises people or the EU project, ECR co-chairman Syed Kamall said today.

European Union negotiators must decide whether they want a Brexit deal that prioritises people or the EU project, ECR co-chairman Syed Kamall said today.

He told the European Parliament that voters were watching to see whether politicians were capable of putting the interests of ordinary people ahead of their own.

Mr Kamall said: “Voters, citizens and workers don’t care about legal technicalities, they don’t sit at home hoping the UK is made an example of. They simply want both sides to sort it out.

“They want to keep making a living, keep selling their products, keep their jobs, keep travelling and keep safe.

“So, quite simply, the EU needs to decide whether – is this is a deal for the European peoples or a deal for the European project?”

Mr Kamall was taking part in a European Parliament debate on last month’s EU summit at which it was decided to move Brexit talks onto the second phase, when the withdrawal agreement and the future UK/EU trade relationship will be discussed.

He insisted the goal of both sides must be to secure a unique, mutually advantageous deal.

“Whether you call proposals for the EU-UK deal bespoke or Canada plus plus plus, it is clear that the UK wishes to be a good neighbour. However, the UK needs to understand that whilst the EU leaders also want as beneficial a deal as possible, they don’t want to make it so attractive that other countries want to follow the UK out of the door.”

He added: “The ECR Group believes that this is a question not limited to Brexit but a fundamental question about the very future of the EU.

“Is the EU serving the needs of its peoples? Is the EU offering solutions to the core challenges its member states face? Could the EU do less, but do it better?