UK negotiator denies govt is blackmailing EU on security


              Britain's Brexit Secretary David Davis, left, and Foreign Secretary Boris Jonhson  listen to Prime Minister Theresa May as she speaks in the House of Commons in London  in this image taken from video  Wednesday March 29, 2017. May will announce to Parliament that Britain is set to formally file for divorce from the European Union Wednesday, ending a 44-year relationship, enacting the decision made by U.K. voters in a referendum nine months ago and launching both Britain and the bloc into uncharted territory.  (Parliamentary Recording Unit  via AP)
Britain's Brexit Secretary David Davis, left, and Foreign Secretary Boris Jonhson listen to Prime Minister Theresa May as she speaks in the House of Commons in London in this image taken from video Wednesday March 29, 2017. May will announce to Parliament that Britain is set to formally file for divorce from the European Union Wednesday, ending a 44-year relationship, enacting the decision made by U.K. voters in a referendum nine months ago and launching both Britain and the bloc into uncharted territory. (Parliamentary Recording Unit via AP)

LONDON (AP) - Britain's chief negotiator in the country's divorce from the European Union is rejecting the suggestion that the government has threatened to end security cooperation unless it gets the trade deal it wants.

David Davis told the BBC that Prime Minister Theresa May's letter triggering talks on Britain's departure made clear it wants to continue to work with the EU on a range of issues, including security, for both sides.

Davis says: "We want a deal, and she was making the point that it's bad for both of us if we don't have a deal. Now that, I think, is a perfectly reasonable point to make and not in any sense a threat."

While the reference to security caused concern in Brussels, Davis says senior European leaders responded positively to May's letter.

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