The British government should steer clear of using Britain’s crime-fighting and espionage expertise as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations, a leading MEP has said. Claude Moraes, a Labour MEP for London, who chairs the European parliament’s influential civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee, said the UK would not be able to withdraw from cooperation on security and defence, because working with European neighbours benefitted both sides.

“It is not going to be a question of politics, it is a question of reality,” Moraes said.

“[Security] is an area of strength for the UK, but it should not be overstated in the negotiations, because we would be understating the contributions of other countries and many of these things can be mutually beneficial.”

Theresa May – who before becoming prime minister had been the longest-serving home secretary of modern times – delivered a veiled warning to EU governments last month that security cooperation could suffer if the UK got a bad deal. Announcing her Brexit white paper, the prime minister said Britain wanted “to be a good friend and neighbour in every way, and that includes defending the safety and security of all of our citizens”. Adding a caveat, she warned that “a punitive deal” would be “an act of calamitous self harm for the countries of Europe”.(the guardian)…[+]