Hard Brexit

• notices and features
• 7 years ago
• Categories: Europe, Globalisation, im/migration, trade, uk politics
• Tags: brexit, england, europe, european union, trade

Theresa May has finally set out some guidelines on the shape of Brexit:

Prime minister vows to put final Brexit deal before parliament

…

She said her government’s 12 priorities for crunch negotiations with the EU 27 meant Britain would:

• Not be seeking membership of the single market after it leaves the EU.

• Take back control of its borders, which she said had been impossible with free movement from within Europe.

• No longer be under the jurisdiction of the European court of justice, arguing: “We will not have truly left the European Union if we are not in control of our own laws.”

• Not stay in the customs union in its current form, but would try to strike a separate deal that would make trading across borders as “frictionless as possible”.

Her promise of a vote for MPs and peers follows demands from Labour and the Lib Dems, as well as parliament’s committee on Brexit, but Downing street sources made clear that parliament would not be able to stop Britain leaving the EU. That suggests that failure to pass a vote will result in Britain falling back on to the higher tariffs of World Trade Organisation rules.

May also insisted that she was determined to reach an early deal on the question of the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and British citizens living abroad – an issue she had raised with European leaders. “Many of them favour such an agreement – one or two others do not,” said May….

Hard Brexit it is. Further analysis from The Guardian here: Hard Brexit will hurt UK more, say EU diplomats and business leaders. Could be good news for NZ though, as a diminished England looks round for new trade.