As the clock ticks and March 29th, the day we leave the EU gets closer, the need to secure a deal becomes more and more urgent. I always believed this would be settled at the last minute but it is starting to get hairy.
A reminder. What we all want is a free trade deal with the EU. We cannot agree that until we have left. This deal is just to get us between March 29th and agreeing that free trade deal.
Why is it necessary? Well is we do what some of my colleagues suggest, and leave without a deal, on WTO terms we would on March 30th replace our free and unfettered trade with the EU with trade controls based on tariffs. This would mean additional costs on our food of more than 20%. Beef faces a tariff of 46%. So all our food prices would increase significantly. That’s why leaving with a deal is so important.
So I regret that the Prime Minister’s deal was rejected last week. I do hope my colleagues think again. I fear that unless they do we will not leave at all. Being blunt unless the deal is approved we will either extend article 50 and have a second referendum or seek a Norway type relationship. To be clear, Norway means we keep freedom of movement and we keep paying. That is not leaving in my book.
Those who won the referendum risk snatching defeat from the jaws of victory unless they get behind the Prime Minister.