Is bribery going to be Theresa May’s main Brexit negotiating tactic?

It feels like we're not off to a good start with Brexit.

Theresa May has been accused of using the sharing of intelligence as leverage in Brexit trade negotiations.

She warned EU leaders that failing to reach a good Brexit agreement will weaken the UK’s cooperation regarding crime and security.

May wrote:

If, however, we leave the European Union without an agreement, the default position is that we would have to trade on World Trade Organisation terms. In security terms, a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened.

Among the criticisms aimed at May, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, lablled the tactic “blackmail,” and warned that security should not be used as a bargaining chip.

So we're not off to a great start for two years of negotiating.

But if May wants to use 'blackmail,' she might want to make sure we have a leg to stand on.

One Guardian journalist wrote:

It is almost inconceivable that any of the UK intelligence agencies – MI5, MI6 or GCHQ – picking up any hint of a terrorist attack being planned on the continent would hesitate to pass it on.

It hasn't exactly filled people with optimism:

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