'Why must we wait?' Fury as Hammond warns Brexit transition deal WILL continue until 2022
FEARS have been raised that Brexit could be delayed or even stopped after Philip Hammond announced details of a three year, two stage “transition period”.
The proposal of a delayed exit that could keep Britain under Brussels rule for another five years prompted a swift backlash from Brexit campaigners with concerns raised that any attempt to reverse last year’s vote could lead to riots.
And it brought about warnings from senior Tory parliamentarians that the Government “must not drag its feet” over ending Brussels rule over Britain.
With the UK set to Leave in March 2019, Mr Hammond has suggested that there is a “transition period” where Britain stays in the EU’s single market and customs union to avoid a so-called “cliff edge Brexit”.
This would be followed by an implementation period to get new customs, immigration and borders systems underway.
Even more concerning, Mr Hammond suggested that trade deals with third countries may not come into force during the so called transition period.
He said "many things will look similar" on the first day after leaving the bloc in March 2019, and hoped goods would flow across the border between the EU and Britain in "much the same way as they do now" during the transitional period.
However, Mr Hammond said that it needed to be completed before the next election in 2022.
His comments followed concerns from Brexiteers after Home Secretary Amber Rudd - another leading Remain supporter in the Government - suggested earlier in the week that free movement may continue after 2019.
There must be no dragging of feet with Brexit - there needs to be greater urgency shown
Remainers are pushing for a second referendum to reverse last year’s historic vote.
Many hope a slow exit will mean that voters will lose heart over leaving the EU and a possible economic downturn could be used an excuse to hold another poll on membership.
Senior figures in Brussels have also made it clear they would like to find a way to reverse the result because they fear that losing Britain’s next £10 billion contribution will bankrupt the struggling bloc.
Last night leading Brexit supporters warned ministers that there can be no delay to leaving the EU or attempt to water down or reverse Brexit.
Senior Tory MEP David Campbell Bannerman, who sits on the European Parliament’s Brexit oversight group and trade committee, pointed out that taking the urgency out of Brexit could also mean that the EU will put a trade deal with the UK on the back burner.
He said: “The implementation period must be strictly time limited - by law to March 2021 maximum - or this will look like a cynical attempt to reverse the referendum vote.”
He added that “2022 is far too late to complete the full Brexit, and the Home Secretary [with her consultation on immigration] has got the wrong September: we need to consult with businesses now, not next year.
“There must be no dragging of feet with Brexit - there needs to be greater urgency shown. Concluding the deal as soon as possible is imperative, and certainty will steady and enhance the economy.”
He added: “There is still much vagueness about what the transition will mean - will we still be paying in £19 billion a year and why must the people be forced to wait any further for proper border controls?”
Philip Hammond: We need a gradual shift to post-Brexit UK
Romford MP Andrew Rosindell warned “the appearance will be that Brexit will not actually mean Brexit.
“Instead of looking at how we can water down and delay we should be putting every effort into a bold approach.
“There is going to be a suspicion this transition will never really end.”
Kettering Tory MP Philip Hollobone said: “We can’t have a transition that ends up keeping us in the EU for all intents and purposes albeit under a different name.”
It was noted that Ms Rudd and Mr Hammond made their controversial announcements when Theresa May and Brexit secretary David Davis were on holiday.
Richard Tice, who chairs the Leave Means Leave group supported by 50 Tory MPs, warned that a “hardcore group of Remoaners aided and abetted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Engineering Federation (EEF)” were trying to “buy time to reverse Brexit.”
He said: “Without question they are trying to buy time to reverse the vote. If that happens they will have a democratic riot on their hands.”
He added that the Prime Minister “should not hesitate to sack ministers” if they tried to undo Brexit.
John Bickley, UKIP's Immigration spokesman warned that a delay to Brexit “means that hundreds of thousands of EU immigrants will be added to the population in the five years from last June's EU referendum to the 2022 General Election” on top of the 3.2 million already in Britain.
He said: “Bizarrely, the chancellor commented on the unreadiness of the various government institutions to manage the UK's borders and immigration by 2019. Why? It is over a year since the referendum result and a clear mandate to government to leave the EU.
“Why didn't the government immediately begin planning and recruiting staff so that our borders could be controlled by 2019. Since 2015 UKIP has stated that at least 4,000 extra Border Agency staff are needed to get a grip of our borders and uncontrolled immigration."
In a worrying sign for Brexiteers, Mr Hammond’s announcement was welcomed by new Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable whose party is leading efforts to hold a second referendum to reverse Brexit.
He said: "Philip Hammond is one of the adults in the Cabinet and is adopting a more pragmatic approach than some of his colleagues and that's to be commended but two years postponement doesn't solve the problem, it's kicking the can down the road.”