Davis forecasts ‘thunder and lightning’ in next Brexit talks
BREXIT Secretary David Davis has predicted “public thunder and lightning” will continue as the next phase of talks starts, but insists a deal on a transition phase by March is “doable”.
Mr Davis said it is in the interests of both sides for the UK to continue to enjoy the “key rights of the single market and customs union” for around two years despite having left the EU.
He also sought to assure car manufacturers there is “no reason” why vehicles produced in the UK should have to undergo more than one series of tests to show it meets EU standards.
In November Aston Martin – which is investing in its new production centre in the Vale of Glamorgan – made waves when it warned that a no-deal Brexit could lead to a halt in production if the present system of Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) approval was no longer valid in the EU.
Mr Davis said: “Currently a car produced in Europe, for sale in the UK, only has to undergo one series of approvals, in one country, to show that it meets the required regulatory standards. For decades we have been happy to let European bodies carry out the assessments that ensure products like these – from cars to medical devices – are fit to go to market in the United Kingdom.
“Given the level of trust we place in each other’s institutions I see no reason why, with the right relationship, such mutual recognition should not continue after we leave. But it will require the support of our regulators working together, collaborating on assessments to authorise products and sharing data on public health and safety risks.”
Looking ahead to the final deal, he wrote in the Telegraph that he wants it to “cover goods, agriculture and services, including financial services, and be supported by continued intelligent cooperation in highly-regulated areas such as transportation, energy and data”.
In an apparent warning shot at EU negotiators who might baulk at the idea of so wide a deal, he said: “Given the strength and breadth of our links, a deal which took in some areas of our economic relationship but not others would be, in the favoured phrase of EU diplomats, cherry picking.”
Adamant that the UK should see a bespoke deal which “delivers for the whole of Europe and is right for the unique circumstances of the UK,” he said: “We start from the uniquely trusted position, closer than Canada or Japan, bigger than Norway, and more deeply integrated, from energy networks to services, than any other trade partner.”
However Plaid Cymru Brexit spokesman Hywel Williams suggested Mr Davis was “deluded”, saying: “Any future free trade deals with the EU will inevitably be less favourable than our current relationship, otherwise there would be no point to any country joining the single market and customs union.
“To suggest that we will be able to maintain the current trading arrangements after we leave, and continue to trade with the EU countries and the 56 other countries with whom our customs union membership allows us to trade on the same terms as the present terms, is fanciful. What David Davis is describing when he talks about wanting a relationship with the EU that ‘involves working together, not simply rule taking’ is actual membership of the EU.”
A Welsh Conservative spokesman insisted a deal could be reached ahead of the March 2019 deadline, saying: “If both parties put their minds to it a comprehensive free trade agreement can be achieved within the timeframe set out in Article 50. We must never lose sight of the fact that it is in the interest of both sides to secure an agreement which is mutually beneficial in terms of future prosperity and we have every confidence that our excellent negotiating team will secure just that.”