Britain will propose to the EU to create a free trade zone after Brexit, while the British government will not be able to change such a regime in the future without the approval of the parliament, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Friday.
“Today in detailed discussions the Cabinet has agreed our collective position for the future of our negotiations with the EU,” May said in a statement following the cabinet meeting.
“Our proposal will create a U.K. — EU free trade area which establishes a common rule book for industrial goods and agricultural products. This maintains high standards in these areas, but we will also ensure that no new changes in the future take place without the approval of our Parliament,” May said in a statement following the cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet ministers held consultations earlier in the day to coordinate London’s strategy for negotiations with the EU on Brexit in key areas. Negotiations continued for several hours in a semi-confidential regime as the participants were asked to hand over their mobile phones before the start.
According to the statement, the minister also agreed “a new business-friendly customs model with freedom to strike new trade deals around the world.”
Meanwhile, The Times reported Friday without citing sources that May had told senior allies she would sack Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson if he attempted to undermine Brexit agreement reached by her cabinet earlier in the day.
On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. Last March, May officially invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, launching the process of the country’s withdrawal from the bloc. The Brexit negotiations between London and the EU started last year and are due to be completed by the end of March 2019.
The issue of post-Brexit trade between the United Kingdom and the EU is one of the key points of concern for both sides, since they have so far failed to reach a trade agreement. The issue of the border between UK’s Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is also among the most contentious matters in the EU-UK talks, as possible UK pullout from the EU Customs Union might require the construction of a hard border between UK and Ireland.
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Sourse: sputniknews.com
