UK’s Corbyn offers to take Brexit forward if May cannot

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May is disappointed by the Scottish parliament’s decision to refuse consent for the flagship legislation which will end Britain’s membership of the European Union, she said yesterday.

It came as the British government said a detailed Brexit strategy dossier would be produced in the coming weeks, amid accusations that cabinet divisions are holding up negotiations with the EU.

Brexit secretary David Davis said the so-called White Paper would include detailed, ambitious and precise explanations of the government’s positions ahead of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union in March next year.

“It will communicate our ambition for the UK’s future relationship with the EU, in the context of our vision for the UK’s future role in the world,” he said.

The lengthy paper will be published ahead of an EU summit at the end of next month.

May’s government has yet to decide what trading ties after Britain leaves the EU’s single market and customs union will look like.

The prime minister is trying to balance demands to protect existing jobs and trade with the bloc, and the desire to forge a new independent trade policy.

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said this week that no significant progress had been made since EU leaders last met at the end of March, and warned that key issues must be resolved before next month’s summit.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told May that if she could not decide on the way forward, he would take over.

“The government is so busy negotiating with itself that it cannot negotiate with anybody else,” he told the House of Commons.

“We’ve had 23 months since the referendum. We have 10 months to complete negotiations and the government is in complete disarray.”

May repeated her three objectives – to pursue an independent trade policy, ensure as frictionless trade with the EU as possible and avoid disruption between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

She admitted that achieving these was not easy.

Senior ministers met on Tuesday to discuss the government’s options for future customs arrangements, but again failed to agree.

To complicate matters further, Davis has reportedly told May her favoured model would be illegal under international law.

The Times reported that the attorney-general had been asked to provide an urgent legal opinion on both proposals.

May’s preferred option is for Britain to collect tariffs on behalf of the EU on goods destined for the bloc, while imposing British tariffs on those staying inside the country.

The alternative, backed by hardline Brexiteers, would use technology to reduce the need for customs checks. – AFP