Prime Minister Boris Johnson will continue to reject any attempts to extend the post-Brexit transition period, a spokesman for Number 10 has said.
The spokesman said the United Kingdom needs the “legislative and economic flexibility” of being fully outside the bloc.
He said: “We will not ask to extend the transition. 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 UK response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The statement comes International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva called for the transition period to be extended to allow for the “unprecedented uncertainty” caused by the impact of coronavirus.
She told the BBC: “My advice would be to seek ways in which this element of uncertainty is reduced in the interests of everybody, the UK, the EU, and the whole world.”
However, she did praise the government and the Bank of England’s response to the pandemic, saying “That very strong package of measures is helping the UK, but given the UK’s sizeable role in the world economy, it’s actually helping everyone.”
The next major round of negotiations on future relations between the UK and EU will begin next Wednesday and last for a week, progress in the talks will be monitored and reviewed in June to see if it is likely a new deal can be reached or if the UK will leave the bloc on World Trading Organisation (WTO) rules.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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