By Ben Kerrigan-
David Davis, the UK Brexit minister says the UK wants to secure a free-trade deal with no tariffs when it leaves the EU.
Making reference to the deal struck between Canada and The EU, he described the ideal deal a “Canada plus plus plus” .
Unlike the Canada deal, Davis told Andrew Marr he wants financial services included in the tariff-free area. However, Davis went further to say he wants the inclusion of financial services in the deal to make it better than the Canada deal.
Mr Davis’s pursuit of a “bespoke” deal with the EU includes one with no tariffs and the service industries – which are a key part of the British economy. Davis believes it is very unlikely that Britain will leave the EU without a deal after Friday’s agreement.
He was at pains to confirm Friday’s agreement as a ”statement of intent”, a reminder of his motto that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. However, he believes everything will eventually be agreed, and he is pushing to achieve satisfaction on everything Britain wants.
CONCERN
The Irish government expressed concern concern about a deal, they describe as binding.
“The European Union will be holding the United Kingdom to account,” the Irish government’s chief whip told RTE. Regulatory alignment has also been made the chosen option in the event of a failed deal, but DUP representatives fear that if they had to adopt EU rules to keep goods going across the boarder would make Northern Ireland closer to Ireland and separated from the rest of the UK.
Once phase 2 begins and progresses to the end, we will know just how things are shaping up between the UK and the EU. At the moment, developments look positive and in the right direction. The potential consequences of each aspect will be assessed over that period.