EU not willing to talk trade - but their businesses are DEMANDING urgency, Liam Fox blasts
UK TRADE minister Liam Fox blasted the EU and demanded they start making progress on Brexit following warnings from global business leaders that contingency plans are brewing.
'Businesses need certainty' Liam Fox blasts EU's 'refusal to talk'
The Secretary of State for International Trade took aim at the Brussels bloc for failing to move onto trade talks as Britain's exit looms.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) warned on Monday that Brexit uncertainty could harm businesses. But Mr Fox insisted a talk on trade in the House of Commons on Tuesday will ensure that businesses will not see a big change in their industries after Brexit.
Appearing on BBC News, Mr Fox said: “As you are well aware, the European Union are not yet willing to talk to us about that.
“That’s unfortunate because for a lot of businesses and a lot of international investors and a lot of European businesses - they want to know what that end state will look like so that they can plan now for that.
Tory MP Liam Fox demands EU stop stalling Brexit progress
“And at this point, the British Government is urging the European Union to talk to about that so that we can get much better certainty and much better clarity on what the future relationships will look like.”
Mr Fox also told the Today programme that the 40 countries who currently have trade deals with the EU are keen to secure ties with Britain after Brexit.
The CBI insisted on Monday that the EU must “see things that same way” as the UK to stop businesses triggering contingency plans.
Director-General of the CBI Carolyn Fairbairn warned there had been progress on Brexit but there is “a lot more” to be done by December when trade talks are expected to begin.
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Ms Fairbairn told BBC Radio 4 that Theresa May’s Florence speech acted as a significant part of the Brexit progress. She said: “The Florence speech the Prime Minister made was the right vision. It had transition. It had a sense of collaboration with Europe. But we now need unity behind it.
“And we need the European Union to see things in the same way. And we are doing a lot on that front and then I think it can be done.”
The CBI found that 60% of businesses will have started preparations for a contingency plan to be in effect by the end of March next year, which Ms Fairbairn said will have “real implications for our economy”.
During the CBI conference on Monday, business leaders told Channel 4 that clarity on Brexit is “fundamental” because people are making plans for a “no deal” scenario now.
One business leader said: “I think it’s a case of, if you know where you are going you can make plans for it. But when you don’t even know where you are going then how do you make that?”