Downing Street: UK will say ‘no’ if EU asks for
Brexit extension
Extending the transition would keep UK ‘bound by EU
legislation at a point when we need legislative and economic flexibility.’
By
ANNABELLE DICKSON 4/16/20, 2:30 PM CET Updated 4/16/20, 5:02 PM CET
LONDON —
The U.K. would refuse any European Union request to extend the Brexit
transition period, Downing Street said Thursday.
The prime
minister's official spokesman said the U.K. needed "legislative and
economic flexibility" to manage its response to the coronavirus pandemic
and would not seek more time to secure a trade deal with the EU.
"We
will not ask to extend the transition period, and if the EU asks we will say
'no.' Extending the transition would simply prolong the negotiations, prolong
business uncertainty and delay the moment of control of our borders. It would
also keep us bound by EU legislation at a point when we need legislative and
economic flexibility to manage the U.K. response to the coronavirus
pandemic," the U.K. spokesman said.
The comment
comes after International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
said the U.K. and the EU should not "add to uncertainty" as a result
of coronavirus by refusing to extend the period to negotiate a post-Brexit
trade deal.
The spokesman's
words were echoed by the U.K.'s chief negotiator, David Frost. "Transition
ends on 31 December this year. We will not ask to extend it. If the EU asks we
will say no," he tweeted.
"Extending
would simply prolong negotiations, create even more uncertainty, leave us
liable to pay more to the EU in future, and keep us bound by evolving EU laws
at a time when we need to control our own affairs. In short, it is not in the
UK's interest to extend."
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