After days spent fighting over the public sector pay cap, today marked a return to politics as usual. The Labour party bickered about the threat of mandatory re-selection and the Conservatives tried to hide their differences on Brexit.
Michel Barnier – the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator – used his first major speech since talks began to warn that the UK cannot leave the EU single market and keep the benefits. This comment is nothing new – and given that the UK and the EU are in the midst of a negotiation, it would be unwise to read too much into posturing from either side.
Still, the media’s coverage of the talks so far have got one Brexiteer’s back up. Speaking in the Chamber today, Liam Fox – the secretary for International Trade – expressed his disappointment at the manner in which the UK’s trade opportunities post-Brexit have been depicted in the press: ‘It does appear that some elements of our media would rather see Britain fail than see Brexit succeed.’
But if Fox is worried about that, how will he respond to tonight’s intervention from the CBI? In a speech this evening, Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI director-general, will propose that the UK seeks to stay inside the EU single market and a customs union until a final deal is in force. They insist this would give ‘both negotiating teams time to iron out details’. But this intervention will cause concern among those who are pushing for a clean Brexit – or any Brexit at all. While it’s widely accepted in Whitehall that a transition period is both desirable and necessary, it’s only palatable to those who back Leave when there is an end destination in sight—and there isn’t in the CBI proposal.
One thing to watch is whether we get a government response to this CBI proposal or not. Some inside government fear that ministers wouldn’t be able to agree on what to say about it.
Comments