Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 7 July 2018

After marathon meeting, UK leaders endorse Brexit trade plan

By JILL LAWLESS tural products.
LONDON (AP) — British The U.K. will also promise to
Prime Minister Theresa May keep "high regulatory stan-
corralled her Cabinet inside dards" for areas including
an English country house the environment and em-
for a long, hot day Friday, ployment law, which could
and announced that the ease fears among unions
divided government had and others that the govern-
finally agreed on a plan ment plans to slash stan-
for a future free-trade deal dards to secure new trade
with the European Union. deals.
The proposal aims to keep Under the plan, however,
the U.K. and the bloc in a Britain will not seek to stay in
free-trade zone for goods, the single market for servic-
but not for services, which es. The government said it
make up the bulk of the recognized that meant the
British economy. U.K. and the EU would have
After almost 12 hours of less access to each other's
talks at Chequers, the prime markets than they do now.
minister's country retreat, On customs, the plan calls
May said that "the Cabinet for the U.K. to use technol-
has agreed our collective ogy at the border to deter-
position for the future of our mine whether goods are
negotiations with the EU" bound for Britain or the EU,
— a pronouncement akin and to charge the appro-
to the British government priate tariffs.
equivalent of white smoke May said the plan would
from the Vatican announc- "avoid friction in terms of
ing the election of a new trade, which protects jobs
pope. and livelihoods" — a key
But getting the Conserva- concern of ministers who
tive government to agree want a "soft" Brexit. She said
with itself may be the easy it would also leave Britain
part. As ministers met be- free to strike new trade
hind closed doors — and deals around the world, a
without their phones, to major preoccupation of
prevent snooping and government Brexiteers.
leaks — the EU's chief ne- Britain said the proposal
gotiator, Michel Barnier, would also solve the prob-
warned the bloc would not lem of the border between
accept anything that treat- Northern Ireland and the
ed the union's single mar- Republic of Ireland, which
ket, which allows the free will be the U.K.'s only land
flow of goods and services, frontier with an EU mem-
as a "big supermarket." ber after Brexit. Britain has
After the British statement, promised to maintain an
Barnier tweeted that the EU invisible border, free of cus-
would "assess proposals to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, bound for the House of toms posts and other in-
see if they are workable & Commons to face Prime Minister's Questions, Wednesday July 4, 2018. frastructure, but until now
realistic." At first glance the Associated Press has not said how it plans to
British proposals sit uneas- achieve that.
ily with repeated EU warn- warning that time is running group that wants to avoid Brexit without severe harm." In a tacit acknowledge-
ings that the U.K cannot out to seal a divorce deal. tariffs and other friction be- Leading pro-Brexit Cabinet ment that Brussels may not
"cherry pick" the benefits Currently Britain is part of tween the U.K. and its big- ministers, including Foreign like the proposals, the British
of EU membership, such the EU's single market — gest trading partner. Secretary Boris Johnson government said it would
as access to the tariff-free which allows for the fric- That view has been echoed and Brexit Secretary David step up preparations for a
customs union and single tionless flow of goods and by big manufacturers, in- Davis, met in private on "no deal" Brexit — though it
market, without accepting services among the 28 cluding Airbus and Jaguar the eve of Friday's meet- said it strongly favored an
the responsibilities, which member states — and its Land Rover, who warn they ing, sparking rumors some agreement.
include allowing the free tariff-free customs union for could abandon Britain if could quit rather than Initial business reaction was
movement of EU citizens to goods. That will end after the EU and the U.K. cannot agree to May's proposal. positive. Carolyn Fairbairn,
the U.K. The U.K. is firm that Brexit, but what will replace strike a strong free trade For now, though, May ap- head of the Confederation
it will end free movement, it remains unclear. deal. Airbus alone employs pears to have united the of British Industry, said the
as well as the jurisdiction Ever since Britain voted to some 14,000 workers in Brit- pro-Brexit and pro-EU wings agreement was "a genuine
of the EU's top court in Brit- leave the EU two years ago, ain. of her government be- confidence boost."
ish affairs. Friday's meeting its government has been Airbus chief executive Tom hind a compromise. Un- But arch-euroskeptics ac-
at the 16th-century manor divided between Brexit- Enders slammed Britain's der the proposals — which cused the government of
house 40 miles (65 kilome- backing ministers who want divided government early will be published in detail a betraying Brexit. Former
ters) northwest of London a sharp break from the EU Friday, saying "Her Maj- next week — Britain would U.K. Independence Party
came with just nine months so the U.K. can strike new esty's government still has agree to maintain the leader Nigel Farage said
to go until the U.K. leaves trade deals around the no clue, or at least no con- same rules as the bloc for the proposal was "a sell-out
the bloc, and with the EU world, and a more pro-EU sensus, on how to execute trade in goods and agricul- to the global corporates."q