John Baron MP endorses Government’s stance on EU negotiations

MP says UK must not accept a bad deal

Today in the House of Commons Rt Hon Michael Gove MP set out the Government’s position on the EU trade negotiations which begin on Monday. The position is that the UK wishes to strike a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, but will not accept alignment with EU laws. The UK will walk away from trade negotiations in June if by then there is not a broad outline of an acceptable deal.

John said,

“I fully endorse the Government’s sensible position ahead of the EU trade negotiations. My strong desire is for a mutually-beneficial comprehensive trade agreement, but it would be against both the point and spirit of Brexit if we were to be bound to EU regulations even after we have left. This would be an unacceptable loss of sovereignty – there is no way the EU, for example, would agree to abide by unknown future laws passed at Westminster or by the rulings of British regulators or British courts.”

“During the last years of Brexit negotiations, the EU was adamant that there should be no British ‘cherry picking’. However, it is now the EU which is indulging in ‘cherry picking’ by not allowing the UK to have the same trade arrangements it has already struck with countries like Canada and Japan, neither of which required them to harmonise with future EU regulations.”

“The Government is right to preserve the option of walking away from the negotiations in June should they prove unproductive – there is little merit in agreeing to a bad deal. Moreover, there will be other trade negotiations to be getting on with, including with the United States, and no time to lose.”