Cabinet Minister confirms Post-Brexit transition period will not be extended

The Cabinet Minister George Eustice has confirmed that Britain’s full exit from EU rules will be going ahead to schedule despite the current coronavirus crisis. The Environment Secretary George Eustice, who is involved in preparing for Britain’s divergence from the EU’s Brussels fishing and farming regimes, has stated that Britain’s transition period out of the bloc will be completed by the end of the year as planned. 

Mr Eustice’s plan comes ahead of another round of UK-EU trade negotiations to be held by video conference next week. Whilst conducting the daily government briefing and answering a question from a member of the public the Environment Secretary said: “We’re still going ahead with Brexit. Brexit, in fact, it is something that has already happened. We left the European Union at the end of January. We have a transition period that ends at the end of this year, and we will still be ending that transition period on time as planned. And we are still doing whatever planning is necessary to ensure that after that transition period we can trade normally and function normally as a country”.

This pledge is set against warnings from European leaders that the timetable to conclude a trade deal amid major differences over fishing rights and future regulations, is looking tight. The Deputy Irish Premier Simon Coveney yesterday said the “Covid-19 has made what is already a very, very difficult timeline to get agreement virtually impossible. Given the added complications of Covid-19 it surely makes sense to seek a bit more time to navigate our way through these very difficult waters in the months ahead so that we can get a good outcome for the UK and EU”.

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