Brexit: Theresa May admits UK could be tied to EU rules up to next election
3 min read
Theresa May today admitted the final Brexit date could be pushed back to the next general election - amid claims the UK could be tied to EU rules for another four years.
The Prime Minister said it was “important” that the so-called implementation period should end before the country goes to the polls again in 2022.
Her comments appear to contradict her Business Secretary Greg Clark – who this morning said the UK should have the choice of extending the implementation for the whole of 2022.
The transition - currently scheduled to last between the exit date of March 2019 and December 2020 - will see the UK remain tied to most EU rules in a bid to smooth its withdrawal from the bloc.
But reports emerged last night that EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier discussed adding a full year to the interim period with ambassadors from the remaining EU 27 member states.
The extension is thought of as a way to keep the Northern Irish border open in case no future trade deal is agreed - and would serve as an alternative to the so-called 'backstop' plan which is hated by Brexiteers.
Mrs May has previously said the implementation period could be prolonged by “a matter of months” - and today moved to quash suggestions it could last beyond the scheduled 2022 election.
“From my point of view I think it is important that in delivering for the British people we are out of the implementation period before the next general election,” she told bosses at the CBI annual conference.
A Downing Street spokesman meanwhile said: “The PM has always been clear that the implementation period ends in advance of the next general election and that remains the case.”
He added that the Government did not expect a transition extension would be needed - but it “makes sense” to have the option “in case the future relationship isn’t ready for some reason”.
It would be an alternative to the so-called ‘backstop’ proposal – which would see the whole of the UK remain in the EU customs union and would mean some regulatory differences for Northern Ireland.
Mr Clark told the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning that there was “value” in having the option of a transition extension up to the end of 2022.
He said: “It would be at our request and that would be a maximum period… it would be an option for us and there is value in having an option.”
'IGNORE MY TORY REBELS'
Elsewhere, Mrs May told Brits they should listen to business figures when evaluating her draft Brexit deal, rather than her pro-Brexit Tory backbenchers who hate the plan and want to topple her.
“Don’t just listen to politicians. Listen to what business is saying,” she told the CBI hall in central London.
“Listen to what business that is providing your jobs and ensuring that you have that in come that puts food on the table for your family is saying.
“And business is saying ‘we want a good deal with the EU and we want a good trading relationship with the EU’.”
But Tory MP Anna Soubry - speaking on behalf of the anti-Brexit People’s Vote campaign - said the draft withdrawal agreement “is a deal that pleases no one and will mean years of uncertainty and lost investment for British business”.
She added: “Business and investment are already taking a big hit from Brexit, and the situation will get much worse if we leave the EU.”
CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn said: “Future prosperity depends on getting the Brexit deal right. The overwhelming message from business is to make progress, don’t go backwards.
“We need frictionless trade, ambitious access for our world-beating services and a transition period which draws us back from the cliff edge.
“Anything less than that and jobs and investment could suffer.”
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