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01 December 2016

POLITICO: UK will consider paying to access EU single market


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Britain would not rule out paying the European Union to retain access to its single market after leaving the bloc, Brexit Secretary David Davis said in response to a question in Commons.


Labour MP Wayne David asked whether the government would consider contributions “in any shape of form,” in exchange for single market access.

Davis answered: “The major criterion here is that we get the best possible access for goods and services to the European market. If that is included in what he’s talking about then of course we would consider it.”

Responding to frustrations that the government’s Brexit strategy remains unclear, Davis said the government has already set out its claims and will not go into greater detail until it triggers the Article 50 exit procedure from the EU in March of next year.

Davis also disputed claims made in the press that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson privately supports freedom of movement. Johnson thinks immigration is “valuable,” Davis said, but does not support free movement.

Downing Street did not contradict Davis on the country’s potential strategy for retaining access to the single market.

“What he said in the House this morning is consistent with what we’ve said to date, which is that it will be for the U.K. government to make decisions on how taxpayers’ money will be spent,” the prime minister’s spokesperson said later on Thursday in a daily press briefing in Westminster.

The prospect of continued payments into the EU budget will be viewed dimly by Euroskeptic MPs in May’s party. [...]

Full article on POLITICO



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