WE NEED TO BREXTEND IT
Chancellor wants 3 more years to bag new EU deal
BREXIT talks should be extended by three years to avoid trade falling off a “cliff edge”, Philip Hammond has said.
The plan effectively kills off Theresa May’s threat to walk away without a deal – but the Chancellor claimed there was “broad agreement” around the Cabinet table.
He accepted that continuing negotiations beyond the March 2019 deadline until 2022 would mean the UK still being bound by EU rules and unable to strike new trade deals with other countries.
But he told the BBC: “There will be a process between the date we leave and the date on which the new treaty-based arrangements come into force. People have talked about a year, two, maybe three.
“I think there’s a broad consensus that this process has to be completed by the scheduled time of the next General Election, which is in June 2022.”
Mr Hammond report- edly wants to keep full access to the single market and customs union. He is said to have told business chiefs he wants an “off-the-shelf” deal maintaining our current trading relationship followed by an “implementation” phase as a future deal is finalised. Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said: “I hope that this is the final burial of the flawed proposition that ‘no deal’ is a viable option.”
Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta which held the rotating EU presidency for six months this year, said he hoped Brexit can be stopped.
He said: “I’m starting to believe that Brexit will not happen. I am seeing hopeful signs that indicate things will change. I see encouraging signs that the tide is turning.
“I’m not saying the Brits have made a mistake, but the mood is changing.”
It came as Ireland rejected Mrs May’s plan for border checks on the Irish border, warning any controls could put the peace process at risk.
I hope this is the final burial of the flawed proposition that ‘no deal’ is a viable option KEIR STARMER SHADOW BREXIT SECRETARY