‘Stay in single market
Britain needs to stay inside the single market and customs union until a final deal with the EU is in force, a leading business group has warned.
The CBI said even with the greatest possible goodwill on both sides of the Brexit talks, it is “impossible” to imagine the details of a new trade deal will be clear by the time the Article 50 process ends on March 29, 2019.
CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn urged negotiators to agree transitional agree- ments as soon as possible, to reduce uncertainty and protect jobs.
“Instead of a cliff edge, the UK needs a bridge to the new EU deal,” she said in a lecture at the London School of Economics.
“Our proposal is for the UK to seek to stay in the single market and a customs union until a final deal is in force. This would create a bridge to the new trading arrangement that, for businesses, feels like the road they are on.”
Ms Fairbairn
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