James Forsyth James Forsyth

How the EU’s migration crisis is making Brexit more difficult

Next week’s EU Council will see little progress on Brexit. As I write in The Sun today, migration—not Brexit—is the biggest issue on the agenda for the EU 27.

Migration is roiling European politics again. Angela Merkel’s coalition is threatening to break apart over the issue. While in Italy, the new government is threatening to close its southern border—blocking migrant rescue ships from landing—and open its northern border, encouraging illegal migrants and asylum seekers to head north to Germany and Sweden.

So worried is the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that he is hosting a mini-summit this Sunday to try and come up with some policies that can ease Merkel’s domestic political troubles.

This crisis, though, is making it more difficult for Britain to get a reasonable Brexit deal.

The European Commission is running the Brexit negotiations. Its priority is in defending the theology of the European Union rather than finding practical solutions.

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