Boris indicates that the UK will pursue a hard Brexit.
Summary
Boris Johnson insisted that Britain would not follow any EU rules after Brexit as he set up a showdown with Brussels over a trade deal.
The Prime Minister made clear that he would pursue a hard Brexit by saying there would be “no alignment” between the two sides, defying the EU’s claim that it was a “must” for any future relationship.
On a historic day for Britain’s relationship with the rest of Europe, the Brexit “divorce” Bill sailed through the Commons with a majority of 124 on Friday, and will become law on Jan 9, enabling a Jan 31 exit and for trade negotiations to begin in earnest.
It brought an end to three and a half years of indecision in Parliament, and “means we are one step closer to getting Brexit done”, Mr Johnson said.
On another divisive day for Labour, six of the party’s MPs representing Leave-voting constituencies rebelled by voting in favour of the Bill, with another 32 abstaining.
It meant that the majority in favour of the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill was far larger than the overall majority of 80 won by Mr Johnson at the general election last week.
Mr Johnson told MPs to “move on” from the Brexit arguments and “discard the old labels of Leave and Remain”. He said the time had come to “act together as one reinvigorated nation … determined at last to take advantage of the opportunities that now lie before us”.
His stance on trade negotiations with the EU immediately escalated the row over his Brexit plans both in the Commons and in Brussels.
He said the vote “paves the path for a new agreement on our future relationship with our European neighbours based on an ambitious free-trade agreement, with no alignment … on EU rules, but instead control of our own laws and close and friendly relations”.
EU leaders reacted by saying that Britain could not have tariff-free, frictionless trade unless it signed up to EU regulations and standards.
Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach, said a trade deal had been made more difficult to achieve with Mr Johnson “fixed on a harder Brexit”. He said: “We don’t want to trade with a Britain that undercuts us, that has lower financial standards, lower product standards, lower health and safety standards…the harder approach being taken by Prime Minister Johnson is a risk to us.”
Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said “a level playing field remains a must for any future relationship”, indicating Brussels will push hard for close alignment in trade talks.
One senior EU source said that instead of the “Canada-plus” style trade deal Mr Johnson wanted, he would end up with no more than a “WTO-plus” deal, meaning that Britain would trade with the EU on little better than World Trade Organisation terms, which involve tariffs. Trade talks can only officially begin once Britain leaves the EU.
Brussels had hoped that Mr Johnson’s majority would enable him to ignore the most avid Brexiteers in his party and agree to a much softer Brexit, in which Britain would agree to remain aligned with the EU in return for tariff-free, frictionless trade.
One EU diplomat from an influential member state said: “The more Britain will diverge from common standards and regulations, the more time we will need to negotiate a comprehensive trade deal. Due to the 11-month time limit imposed by London, the risk of a cliff edge by the end of 2020 has risen considerably.”
A senior government source responded by saying: “EU officials claimed that they wouldn’t reopen the Withdrawal Agreement, but they did as it was plainly in our shared interest. “There is clearly political will on both sides that will ensure we can conclude an ambitious free trade agreement by the end of next year.”
Last week, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, warned that a close trading relationship would only be possible if Britain stuck close to Brussels’s rules and standards.
British officials have told their EU counterparts that the UK wants a “best in class” trade deal, but have signalled that they would accept tariffs in some sectors to secure the freedom to diverge from EU rules and regulations.
