Photo of Jeremy Hunt provided by the British Parliament, November 17, 2022 (UK PARLIAMENT/AFP/Archives/Jessica TAYLOR)
Britain’s Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt has defended Britain’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, describing it as “excellent” on Wednesday before the House Treasury Committee.
He also denied being the source of press leaks that Downing Street was considering the option of joining the single market through a relationship like that between the EU and Switzerland, which does not belong not to the EU.
Eurosceptic Tories were moved by a Sunday Times article claiming on Sunday that senior members of government were working to regain access to Europe’s single market. Mr Hunt was named as the source of the information as he publicly admitted that the Brexit Agreement (TCA) signed by Boris Johnson, the ex-Prime Minister and architect of Brexit, had created trade barriers with Brussels.
On Wednesday, he chanted before the Treasury Committee: “I have never supported or considered any agreement that would deviate from the ATT”. He added, however, that “removing physical barriers to trade like what is happening at the Franco-Swiss, or Swedish-Norwegian border, perhaps in a way that is relevant under the Northern Irish protocol, c That’s been my public stance for quite some time now.”
On Monday, in response to the controversy generated by the Sunday Times article in the United Kingdom, in particular among “Brexiters”, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had already defended Brexit, yet more and more unpopular among the population. British, particularly within the business community.
CBI Director General Tony Danker welcomes Rishi Sunak to the employers’ organization annual conference on November 21, 2022 in Birmingham (AFP/Oli SCARFF)
“Let me be unequivocal about this. Under my authority, the UK will not seek any relationship with Europe that is based on alignment with EU laws,” pro-Brexit pro Rishi Sunak said. from the first hour, at a conference of the CBI, the main employers’ organization of the country, adding that Brexit “already brings important benefits and opportunities for the country”.
The UK exited the single market in early January 2021, five years after the Brexit vote, although trade continues to be largely duty-free, ending freedom of movement and no longer contributing financially to the EU. EU.
Switzerland is not in the EU, but maintains privileged relations with it through numerous bilateral agreements and is notably associated with the internal market of the EU, the Schengen agreement, while making payments to EU member countries.
On Wednesday, Jeremy Hunt also said that government energy aid would not be extended beyond the spring of 2024 even if gas and electricity bills remain high.
According to him, this support will cost the government 80 billion pounds this year and probably “half next year”.
“We will need everyone to participate in solving this problem if we do not want a huge additional burden on taxpayers, which would ultimately lead to high taxes which are not desirable,” he said. declared.
Asked about the political instability in the United Kingdom, which has seen three Prime Ministers and four Chancellors of the Exchequer in one year, he pointed out that his budget presented last week and focused on rigor, increases in taxes and spending cuts, aimed to “restore economic stability and the coherence of economic policies”.
© 2022 AFP
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