Thursday, March 08, 2018
Senior Civil Servant admits UK could lose trade on day one of Brexit
Over at the Daily Mirror, they report that the chief civil servant in Tory Liam Fox’s Department for International trade has admitted that Britain could suffer a “loss of trade” with around 40 countries when we leave the EU.
They say that Antonia Romeo told the Commons Public Accounts Committee that some agreements Britain benefits from because of EU membership may not be successfully rolled over even if Theresa May succeeds in agreeing a two-year transition deal after Brexit day. Whilst Mr Fox’s chief negotiation advisor, Crawford Falconer told the same committee countries are likely to ask for more favourable terms in return for continuing trade deals.
As the paper says, these comments will be a blow to Liam Fox who heads up the department of International Trade tasked with agreeing trade deals with non-EU countries post Brexit and who has already flown thousands of miles around the world begging for trade agreements only to come up against closed doors:
These latest revelations come after the International Trade Select Committee warned there was a “disturbing lack of legal clarity” on how to “roll over” or continue these trade agreements after Brexit.
There are also comments from EU Council President, Donald Tusk which raise questions over the UK's ability to secure a deal with the EU that will maintain frictionless trade. He warned that a "pick and mix approach is out of the question" as he accused the Prime Minister of trying to make Brexit a success "at any price".
The wheels really have come off the £350-million-a-week-for-the-NHS Brexit bus.
They say that Antonia Romeo told the Commons Public Accounts Committee that some agreements Britain benefits from because of EU membership may not be successfully rolled over even if Theresa May succeeds in agreeing a two-year transition deal after Brexit day. Whilst Mr Fox’s chief negotiation advisor, Crawford Falconer told the same committee countries are likely to ask for more favourable terms in return for continuing trade deals.
As the paper says, these comments will be a blow to Liam Fox who heads up the department of International Trade tasked with agreeing trade deals with non-EU countries post Brexit and who has already flown thousands of miles around the world begging for trade agreements only to come up against closed doors:
These latest revelations come after the International Trade Select Committee warned there was a “disturbing lack of legal clarity” on how to “roll over” or continue these trade agreements after Brexit.
There are also comments from EU Council President, Donald Tusk which raise questions over the UK's ability to secure a deal with the EU that will maintain frictionless trade. He warned that a "pick and mix approach is out of the question" as he accused the Prime Minister of trying to make Brexit a success "at any price".
The wheels really have come off the £350-million-a-week-for-the-NHS Brexit bus.
