Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has some strong words and advice for the United Kingdom when it comes to the negotiation of exit terms. He said that when the European leaders said that the United Kingdom will not have access to the single market without accepting the four principles of the EU that includes free movement of labor, they are not bluffing. It is not a starting position for the European Union. It is the position. It is now quite clear that the major issue here would be immigration and according to EU, even after leaving the UK would have to shower the EU immigrants with same benefits that of its citizens.

Mr. Muscat ruled out Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson’s suggestion that the UK could have access to the single market and keep control of the immigration, saying that it will not happen. According to him, the UK is unlikely to have a better deal than it has now.

He said there are other ranges of issues that need to be settled first, once the UK triggers Article 50. These issues include the amount the UK must pay to the union before exiting, and how the Ireland border will be managed.