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A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 14 august 2017

Amid criticism, UK government tries to show unity on Brexit

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — The British
government tried to fight
back Sunday against criti-
cisms that it is divided and
unprepared for Brexit, say-
ing it will set out detailed
plans for the U.K.’s exit from
the European Union and is-
suing a joint statement by
two Cabinet rivals over Eu-
rope.
Trade Secretary Liam Fox,
a strong supporter of leav-
ing the European Union,
and the more pro-EU Trea-
sury chief Philip Hammond,
wrote in the Sunday Tele-
graph that they agreed
there should be a “time-
limited” transition period
after Britain formally leaves
the bloc in 2019, to avoid a
“cliff-edge” for people and
businesses.
Fox and Hammond said
the transition period “can- Michel Barnier, right, welcoming British Secretary of State, David Davis, for a meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels.
not be indefinite; it cannot Associated Press
be a back door to stay- outstanding commitments ture partnership to ensure Britain voted to leave the should take.
ing in the EU.” They didn’t to the bloc; whether securi- we get a deal that delivers EU in June 2016, but did not Opponents of Brexit have
say how long the transition ty checks and customs du- a strong U.K. and a strong trigger the formal two-year become increasingly vo-
would last or what rules ties will be instituted on the EU.” The push comes after exit process until March. cal, arguing that the public
would apply during that Irish border; and the status EU officials expressed im- Prime Minister Theresa May or Parliament must get the
period. of 3 million EU nationals liv- patience with the pace of then called a snap election chance to vote on any fi-
The government also said ing in Britain. Britain’s preparations. in an attempt to increase nal deal between Britain
Sunday it wants to increase The government’s Brexit de- The bloc’s chief negotia- her Conservative Party’s and the EU.
pressure on the 27 other EU partment said Britain wants tor, Michel Barnier, said last majority in Parliament and David Miliband, who was
nations to start negotiating to show that progress on month there was “a clock strengthen her negotiating foreign minister in Britain’s
a “deep and special” fu- the preliminary issues has ticking” on the talks. Irish hand. previous Labour govern-
ture relationship that would been made and “we are Prime Minister Leo Varad- But voters did not rally to ment, said leaving the EU
include a free trade deal ready to broaden out the kar said last week that her call, leaving May atop was “an unparalleled act
between Britain and the negotiations” by the time Brexit advocates “already a weakened minority gov- of economic self-harm.”
EU. The EU says those nego- of an EU summit in October. had 14 months” to issue de- ernment. Writing in The Observer
tiations can’t start until suf- Brexit Secretary David Da- tailed proposals, but had In recent weeks, with May newspaper, Miliband said
ficient progress has been vis said that “with time of not. on her summer vacation, there must be “a straight
made on three initial issues: the essence, we need to Barnier is due to meet Davis members of her Cabinet vote between EU member-
how much money the U.K. get on with negotiating the for a new round of negotia- have openly disagreed ship and the negotiated
will have to pay to settle its bigger issues around our fu- tions at the end of August. about what direction Brexit alternative.”q