EU EXIT DEAL TO BOOST BRITAIN
Confidence high as talks begin today
BRITAIN will start official talks today in a historic move to take the country out of the EU.
Almost a year after the referendum, David Davis will arrive in Brussels to start charting a bright new future
for the country. The Brexit Secretary and some of Whitehall’s top civil servants will sit down opposite the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier and create a deal “like no other in history”.
At the meeting Mr Davis will say: “Today marks the start of negotiations that will shape the future of the European Union and the United Kingdom, and the lives of our citizens.
“We want both sides to emerge strong and prosperous, capable of projecting our shared European values, leading in the world, and demonstrating our resolve to protect the security of our citizens.
“I want to reiterate at the outset of these talks that the UK will remain a committed partner and ally of our friends across the Continent.
“And while there is a long road ahead, our destination is clear – a deep and special partnership between the UK and the EU. A deal like no other in history. I look forward to beginning work on that new future today.”
Decided
Over the weekend, Mr Davis had also sought to dash European hopes that Brexit can be cancelled, saying: “There should be no doubt. We are leaving the EU and delivering on that historic referendum result.”
Today’s talks are due to last just one day. They are likely to focus on how the negotiation process will be structured.
Britain has insisted that talks about trade and the actual terms of the divorce must run in parallel. It argues that the withdrawal process cannot be decided without taking future relations into account.
But in recent days Mr Davis has appeared more accepting of the EU’s demand to make progress on Britain’s “divorce bill”, European citizens’ rights and the Irish border before considering future links.
Britain has long said that it wants to settle the post-Brexit rights of EU nationals already living in the UK as soon as possible, provided British expats get similar guarantees. Mrs May was said to be preparing to try to curry favour with other European leaders by going to their summit on Thursday with a “bold” offer to safeguard EU citizens’ rights here.
Leading Brexiteer Boris Johnson yesterday said the talks could bring Britain “huge opportunities”.
Rejecting talk of hard and soft Brexit as terms for cheese, he said the Government wanted an “open Brexit” that saw the UK even more engaged with the world. It would still attract talented people while at the same time taking back control of its borders. The Foreign Secretary said the
election made clear voters wanted a Brexit that was “generous, works for citizens, whether in the UK or the EU, and above all make sure you get on with it and get the job done.
“I believe people want an open Brexit, and a vision for Britain as a great global trading nation – and that’s what we are going to deliver.”
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who today starts talks in Washington on boosting AngloAmerican trade, said his department was already working to build the platform for thriving new trade links. Chancellor Philip Hammond – seen as one of the Cabinet’s most pro-Remain members – yesterday confounded Eurosceptics’ expectations by making clear he would not fight for Britain to remain in a customs union which would stop Britain striking its own trade deals.
But he made it clear he wants the greatest possible market access for business and the smoothest transition, with no damaging “cliff edge” shock to the economy.
He also backed Mrs May’s insistence that “no deal will be better than a bad deal” although he warned leaving the EU without an agreement would be “very, very bad”. He added: “What we put in place may not be a single arrangement that endures forever. It may be an arrangement which lasts for a couple of years as a temporary measure before we get to the long-term agreed status quo.
“We’re leaving the EU and because we are leaving the EU, we will be leaving the single market and, by the way, we will be leaving the customs union. The question is what do we put in its place.”
THE day has finally dawned: Brexit negotiations start now. Amid the political turmoil of the past few weeks there has been a good deal of talk about “full Brexit” and even “no Brexit”, not least as possible future contenders for the leadership of the Conservative Party jockey for position behind the scenes.
This must stop and our political leaders, rather than squabbling like ferrets in a sack, must put the interests of the country first. For a start, the UK voted by a majority to leave the EU last year and its wishes must be carried out.
Second, if there is any attempt to water down the proposals, the public will lose what little trust in the political classes it once had.
Apart from ensuring that we get the best deal possible when we leave the EU, there is also the extraordinary and dangerous resurgence of the hard Left.
Any faltering on dealing with the first issue risks allowing power to pass into the hands of some of the most unfit people ever to hold high office on the Opposition benches.
There is no turning back and it is about time that the Tories stopped turning on one another. It is time for the infighting to stop and the party to stand together as one.