Germany offers Britain an ‘open door’ to cancel Brexit

REUTERS/Yves Herman

German Finance Minister offers Britain “open doors” to cancel Brexit.
Brexit could be cancelled or delayed with the agreement of other EU countries.
Schaeuble says surge of young people voting in UK suggests British views may change about leaving.

LONDON — Britain would be welcomed with “open doors” if it decides to reverse its plans to leave the EU, a leading member of the German government has said.

German Finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Bloomberg that while it was “up to the British government to take their own decisions,” Germany would not stand in the way of the UK returning to the union.

“If they wanted to change their decision, of course, they would find open doors,” he said.

Watch Schaeuble: we have ‘open doors’ to cancel Brexit

Schaeuble said that while he thought “it was not very likely” the UK would reverse it’s Brexit plans, the surge in Remain-supporting young people voting in the recent general election meant there could be a change.

Schaeuble said these voters had “more distance to Brexit, not enthusiasm for the Labour Party.”

“There is a new opportunity to bring Europe forward,” he added.

Undercurrent plans Britain will leave the EU two years after Article 50 was triggered in March 2017, unless there is unanimous agreement from other EU countries to delay or cancel Britain’s exit.

Schaeuble’s comments are a clear indication that other EU countries may not stand in the way of a reversal of Britain’s Brexit plans.

Brexit negotiations are due to begin later this month.

Britain would be welcomed back if Brexit were reversed, Germany’s Wolfgang Schaeuble says https://t.co/yHUHtEQ6Ur http://pic.twitter.com/GI4YSiClpV

— Bloomberg (@business) June 13, 2017