By Ben Kerrigan
Mrs von der Leyen, a former German defence minister has said that the consequences of leaving the EU will be a weakened partnership. In a statement that appeared to be characterised with a fundamental contradiction, she said the UK and EU “will still be the best of friends and partners” after Brexit.
But she said: “We will go as far as we can, but the truth is that our partnership cannot and will not be the same as before and it cannot and will not be as close as before because with every choice comes a consequences with every decision comes a trade off.”
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She added: “There will be tough talks and each side will do what is best for them, but I can assure you the UK will always have a trusted friend and partner in the EU.”
Mrs von der Leyen said the deadline for a trade deal was “very, very tight” and was important to “prioritise” issues.
“It’s not an all or nothing thing, but a question of priorities,” she said
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However, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay told BBC Breakfast that the UK and EU had agreed in the political declaration to do a trade deal by the end of this year and they are “confident” they will do that.
“Of course there will be planning within Whitehall for any eventuality, but we aim to get a trade deal,” he said.
“Both sides are clear they want a trade deal, the political declaration says it can be done to that timetable, let’s be positive.” Once the UK officially leaves the EU, it will enter into an 11-month transition period in which it will largely follow EU rules but will not have any representation in the bloc’s institutions.
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