UK proposes EU treaty to protect security ties

Security links between Britain and the European Union should be secured with a new legal pact, says the Home Secretary.

Amber Rudd says current security arrangements including membership of Europol and the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) "will end" after Brexit.

But days after Britain was hit by a terrorist attack at Parson’s Green station, the UK is preparing to present proposals for a new treaty to give legal backing to intelligence, law enforcement and criminal justice partnerships post Brexit.

Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Amber Rudd praises existing arrangements within the EU as "some of the world’s most sophisticated cross-border systems in the fight against crime".

The Home Secretary makes reference to the success of the EAW and Europol but goes on to say: "When we leave the EU, these current arrangements will end, but our partnership must go on for the security of the UK and the continent."

She adds: "Tomorrow, the Government will publish a paper outlining how we want to achieve this. It will suggest that the fight against crime and terror could be underpinned by a new security treaty between the UK and the EU.

"A new treaty would allow us to maintain and strengthen our current level of cooperation and provide a new legal framework to do this."

David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, also backs the plan.

He will say in a future partnership paper, due out on on Monday, that a new security deal is vital.

Mr Davis will say: "Effective international cooperation is absolutely crucial for both the UK and the EU if we are to keep our citizens safe and bring criminals to justice.

"We already have a deep level of collaboration with the EU on security matters and it is in both our interests to find ways to maintain it.

"We approach negotiations on our future special partnership with the EU as an opportunity to build on our existing achievements."

In the past, both the EU and the UK have accused each other of using intelligence services as leverage in negotiations.

In March, the Home Secretary stated it was "likely" the UK would leave Europol in the wake of Brexit unless a deal is made.

Last month, EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier also warned that Britain would be forced to leave Europol and that the EU-UK split would weaken British security and counter-terrorism.

And Theresa May linked failure to strike a trade deal with a reduction of intelligence sharing in her Article 50 letter in March.

She wrote: "In security terms, a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened."

(c) Sky News 2017: UK proposes EU treaty to protect security ties