The deal signed by EU ministers on Sunday which paves the way for Britain’s withdrawal from the EU is the ‘best we can get,’ Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said after the meeting.

‘If there are people in Britain who think they can get a better deal, then they are wrong,’ Rutte said. ‘This is the best you can get, both for Britain and the European Union. If there was anything better, I can tell you Theresa May would have gotten that.’

“There is no plan B. This is the deal on the table (…) If there would have been a better deal @theresa_may would have gotten that.”@MinPres #EUCO #Brexit pic.twitter.com/NSf8EnESAe

— Netherlands at the EU (@NLatEU) November 25, 2018

There is now an ‘ambitious framework’ for the future relationship between the UK and the EU, Rutte said. ‘This includes issues which are important to the Netherlands such as trade, services, fishing and security. And good agreements guarantee the competitive position of our companies.’

No alternative

The ‘no alternative’ message was echoed by other EU leaders as well as commission president Jean Claude Juncker. ‘This is the best deal for the UK, the best deal for Europe, this is the only deal possible,’ he said, and urged dissident British MPs to ‘take this into consideration’.

The British parliament will now vote on the deal on December 12 and pundits say May has her work cut out to ensure approval.

If parliament votes no, the only plan B on the table is ‘no deal’, EU officials say.

British in NL

Last week, the Dutch immigration service IND overhauled the information on its website telling British nationals what they should do to make sure they can stay in the Netherlands.

In the event of a no deal situation, the Netherlands will provide ‘a decent solution’, the IND said.

The Dutch foreign affairs ministry is carrying out a survey to find out how best to communicate with British nationals in the Netherlands about their status. You can find the survey here.