Norway never said ‘nei’ to Liam Fox

Being half-Norwegian, I can rarely find anyone in Westminster to discuss the Norwegian papers with. But Monday’s front page of the Norwegian business paper Dagens Naeringsliv has been the talk of the town. Why, because its main headline trumpeted Norway said no’ (in Norwegian, of course). The other lines clarified the story – ‘Brits wanted to collaborate on a new EU deal’, but Norway said no… ‘They didn’t get Norwegian help on Brexit’.

@SamCoatesTimes

What a dream story for those who are still in mourning over June’s referendum. It was quickly picked up by the Guardian, among others.  

As the article had it, Liam Fox had been keen to establish a task force with the Norwegians, in preparation for a new trade arrangement when Brexit actually happens. But Fox was rejected, the story goes – sent back with his tail between his legs. Creating a task force with the UK had the potential to harm Norway’s EEA agreement, and they weren’t having it.

And with impressive speed, the story was pounced upon. ‘Where are all the countries queuing up to make trade deals with us now?’ someone asked. Were we now officially a ‘toxic trading entity’?

Well no, not really. The piece has been recalled, with the paper telling me that the article was, ‘sadly incorrect’ – but a new version is now online. Meanwhile the Norwegian Embassy were quick to clarify that a working group to discuss EU relations had never been discussed, and that the Norwegian trade Minister, Monica Mæland, was more than happy to initiate a dialogue to ‘minimise any potential future disruption to the bilateral trade relationship’.

Anyway, I look forward to these Remainers keeping up their new found interest in the Norwegian press. The langrenn (cross-country skiing – do keep up!) coverage in VG is particularly good.