Leaving the EU: No-deal Alternatives

Bernard Jenkin Excerpts
Wednesday 21st February 2018

(6 years, 2 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Antoinette Sandbach Portrait Antoinette Sandbach
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I certainly do recall that type of message. It was one of the big messages that was being sent out: our prosperity would not be threatened, we would be able to stay in the single market and we would have the “exact same benefits” as before.

Bernard Jenkin Portrait Mr Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex) (Con)
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I am intrigued because I thought the whole basis of my hon. Friend’s very fear-based analysis of Brexit is that the EU wants to stick tariffs on trade between the UK and the EU. Which leader around the European Union has said that they want to put tariffs on trade between the UK and the EU?

Antoinette Sandbach Portrait Antoinette Sandbach
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The consequences of a WTO—

Bernard Jenkin Portrait Mr Jenkin
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Not one!

Antoinette Sandbach Portrait Antoinette Sandbach
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No. The consequences of a WTO Brexit mean that we fall back on rules that require the imposition of tariffs, unless we waive them as a most favoured nation status for all other countries. That would then expose our manufacturing, farming and other industries to competitors with far lower standards than us, some of which have far cheaper labour costs, when we have very high quality products in this country. That is the consequence of WTO terms.