We Must Not ‘Panic-Buy’ a Bad Deal
As we approach the final stretch of the Brexit negotiations, we must hold our nerve. We must not make the same mistake of rushing through a bad Deal at the expense of the Great British Public – argues Jayne Adye, Director of Get Britain Out.
Having begun the 7th round of negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union this week, we are also now in the final 2 months before the supposed October deadline to agree a trade Deal. Both sides are aware the European Council needs to scrutinise and ratify the Deal, which the EU's Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier reaffirmed on August 18th. If they get a move on, this should be in time to finalise by the official deadline of December 31st 2020. However, we must not be pressured into rushing through a 'bad' Deal, as happened with the Withdrawal Agreement. Anything less than favourable must be rejected and we should walk away on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms, which is how we trade with the rest of the world.
Alarmingly, as we approach this 'deadline', the rhetoric of a Deal has changed. Until recently, both sides were seriously far apart on most issues – 'No Deal' was being hailed as the only realistic outcome. Now, it's being reported we're closing in on a Deal – despite after round 6 of the negotiations, both sides admitting there had been very little progress. We were told last month the UK could expect up to 60% of its demands to be met. This is not good enough! Anything less than 100% would equate to a 'Bad Deal' unless there are minor, and for really justifiable reasons!
It would appear Prime Minister Boris Johnson is 'panic-buying' a Deal. Accepting 40% less of what we were promised would be a total betrayal of the British people.
What has changed in the past month? I have personally written to David Frost (the UK's Chief Brexit Negotiator) and Michael Gove, as well as Boris Johnson on August 3rd to ask for more details on behalf of the Great British Public. We need to know what might be being sacrificed in the 40%! Disturbingly, but not really surprisingly, I have had NO REPLY to date!
What are they hiding which we need to know about?
I sincerely hope our Prime Minister isn't giving in when it matters most!
We are aware of 2 remaining major sticking points, which are on fishing rights and the 'Level Playing Field'. Neither side has agreed on how to proceed with these vital issues in over 4 years. I don't believe it's suddenly possible to strike a favourable agreement for the UK in the next 2 months – as 10 Downing Street led us to believe on Monday this week. This gives myself and many Brexiteers cause for concern. The final stages of these negotiations appear to be wrapping up far too quickly. Are we being sold down the river by our Government?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson must not take the approach of ratifying a trade Deal at any cost – agreeing to anything less than favourable terms will be disastrous for the future of our country. The Withdrawal Agreement already undermines our sovereignty as an independent nation in more ways than one, so sacrificing our fishing rights or further alignment to EU rules would result in a 'Brexit In Name Only' (BRINO) situation.
Worryingly, David Frost has decided to take only 50 negotiators with him to Brussels this week. This is an absurdly small number for such an important Deal. If they were genuinely serious about landing a favourable Deal in the best interests of the UK's trade, Frost would have taken an army of negotiators. There were over 200 negotiators involved with the first round of the United States Free Trade Agreement negotiations back in May – and the US isn't trying to usurp our fishing waters nor bind us to their Supreme Court!
When the negotiations inevitably come to another impasse, the reflex shouldn't be to cave in, it should be to fall back on the most reliable and consistent option – 'No Deal'. This is an outcome which the Government should be more than prepared for and is one they should relish if the right Deal is not possible with the EU.
Any other alternatives to a really good trade Deal should be written off. Rumours of an extension to the Transition Period after the end of December have begun circulating once again, under the guise of designing an 'Implementation Period' or drafting a new treaty altogether! The EU has constantly been doing its best to disrupt the UK's post-Brexit plans for our future. On Monday this week, the EU rescinded its promise to permit UK banks temporary access to European financial markets as of January 2021. Is the EU trying to apply pressure to force us into accepting a bad Deal?
So far, our Government has been strong-willed in denying the possibility of any extension – or agreeing to a bad Deal, but we are now well familiar with its U-turns and broken promises. Considering so little information is being released by 10 Downing Street, who knows what is going on behind the scenes. After all, it's now over 4 years since we voted to Leave the EU – and we are still not free.
This latest round of talks will be absolutely pivotal – both major sticking points have packed out schedules this week in order to attempt to meet our requirements – 200-nautical miles of sovereign waters reclaimed for our fishermen and no unnecessary alignment to Brussels' rules.
The Withdrawal Agreement still binds us to Brussels. We're still on the hook for insuring European Investment Bank projects – if certain projects or Member States financially collapse, we're still liable to pick up the bill. The Withdrawal Agreement also ensures we remain subject to EU law via the Northern Ireland Protocol. It won't take long until the UK is paying the price for these pitfalls – a bad Deal will only exacerbate them.
We must Get Britain Out of the Transition Period on time. Any Deal must be on terms which defend the interests of the United Kingdom. 'Panic-buying' an 11th hour Deal which fails to do so would be a complete betrayal of the Great British Public – and one from which Boris Johnson and his Government will never be able to recover!
