BREXIT MEANS WE CAN SET OUR OWN RULES
THERESA May has the full unity of her Cabinet in striking a Brexit deal that allows Britain to set its own rules and set up “ambitious” free trade deals around the world, it emerged yesterday.
Mrs May laid out her plans at the first full Cabinet meeting to discuss the “end state” of Britain’s relationship with the European Union.
In a move to allay fears of a pledge for “regularity alignment” with the EU in the divorce bill, the Prime Minister said she wants “a deal which secures the best possible trading terms with the EU, enables the UK to set rules that are right for our situation, and facilitates ambitious third country trade deals”.
A Downing Street spokesman said she intends to have agreement in place over a transition period by March and then complete a deal on the future relationship with the EU including trade.
The meeting was the first since Mrs May’s triumphant unveiling of the divorce settlement at the European Council earlier this month.
At the 105-minute meeting at Downing Street, the PM insisted she was confident of achieving a result which will lead to a dynamic postBrexit economy delivering growth, jobs and prosperity.
Ambitious
Her official spokesman said Mrs May’s message was backed by the whole Cabinet, though no formal position is expected to be agreed for some time, with further discussions scheduled for the new year.
The Cabinet did not discuss the position set out so far by the European Commission’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, whose vision of a free trade agreement similar to that struck with Canada in 2016 differs sharply from Mrs May’s demand for a bespoke UK deal delivering a “deep and special partnership”.
Mrs May told the Cabinet she was seeking “a significantly more ambitious deal than the EU’s agreement with Canada”, her spokesman said.
In a move that will please many Brexit supporters, she ruled out the option of a Norway-style membership of the European Economic Area as “democratically unsustainable” because it would mean the UK having automatically to observe rules and regulations which it had no influence over.
The PM’s starting point for discussing the UK’s preferred end state was her own speeches at Lancaster House and in Florence earlier this year, in which she ruled out membership of the single market and customs union.
She told colleagues it was clear that the Government was seeking “a deal which secures the best possible trading terms with the EU, enables the UK to set rules which are right for our situation and facilitates ambitious third-country trade deals”, the spokesman said.
The Downing Street spokesman confirmed the discussions included protecting financial services. He also stressed that ministers are discussing immigration but the Cabinet meeting was focused “primarily on issues of future trade”. He added: “As I say, there has been a detailed conversation which has taken place on immigration plans and that work is under way via the Migration Advisory Committee.
“And you will see an immigration paper setting out the whole sort of architecture, infrastructure, in the new year. But the point is Cabinet are discussing and the Government are discussing all these matters.”
Senior Tory MEP David Campbell Bannerman, a board member of the campaign group Leave Means Leave, said he was encouraged by the reports of the Cabinet meeting.
He said: “I gather no decisions were made but it sounds like we are heading in the right direction.”