UK's trade minister Liam Fox speaking to the BBC earlier today 18 Dec
The UK may need a transitional agreement to smooth its exit from the EU but it should not "buy back" into too many of the bloc's regulations says Fox, a Leave campaigner.
Asked in the interview whether he supported the idea of a transition period, as mooted by fin min Hammond, Fox said:
"That depends what the actual arrangement is as we come to leave the European Union and the timescale needed to implement it."
Fox is reported to be more in favour of a clean break with the EU and said the government needed to seek to minimise disruption to businesses and international trade.
"But at the same time you can't afford to buy back into so much of the European Union that we are actually diminishing the effect of what the British people told us to do,"
Fox said Britons had made it clear they did not want to see uncontrolled immigration or to be governed by European courts and the government needed to take that on board.He was still looking at whether Britain should seek to stay in the EU's customs union or its single market.
Staying in the customs union would impact the kind of free trade deals Britain could do with non-EU countries by putting limits on its ability to set tariffs, but it was not a simple in/out choice, he said.
"It is not binary. Turkey for example is in part of the customs union but not other parts. What we need to do before we make final decisions is to look at the costs."
Reuters has more here.
The Brexit debate/uncertainty continues even amongst the UK's own government and it's not going to end any time soon.
UK trade minister Fox - No Brexit deal should diminish the will of the people
