John Baron MP: PM should ditch Withdrawal Agreement in favour of WTO terms

MP says no deal is better than this deal

As the House of Commons returns today from the Christmas recess, John said,

“Nothing has changed. The Withdrawal Agreement still allows the EU the sole right to determine whether the UK exits the backstop. Turkey has been stuck in a similar situation for decades.”

“Furthermore, such an arrangement makes for a worse deal after the transition period. If the other party knows they can lock you in to a situation after the transition period expires that does not honour the referendum result, and which confers on them an advantage, what incentive is there for them to negotiate a good trade deal?”

“From the outset, the Government has approached Brexit as a problem to be solved rather than an opportunity to be seized. The time has now come to ditch the Withdrawal Agreement and honour the referendum result by leaving the EU on the same WTO terms by which we trade profitably with the rest of the world. This would see the UK thrive over time.”

“Those peddling predictions of gloom, as they did during the referendum campaign itself, need to remember investment is about comparative advantage – low tax rates and more flexible labour markets being just two reasons why the UK economy has thrived despite the perceived uncertainty over Brexit.”

“It is time for No 10 to thank the lawyers and political advisors for their service, but to now take a more positive and business-like approach to the negotiations – the golden rule of business is that no deal is better than a bad deal, and in this case no deal is better than this deal.”