Brexit Secretary explains how lives will change for listeners after Brexit

20 December 2019, 11:00

Nick Ferrari asked how listeners lives would change after 31st January and after Brexit.

Barclay replied: "We then do have control of things like immigration, we can bring in our own points-based system, we can have control, so for example, putting stronger criminal checks over people coming into the UK, so we get control of things.

"But, ultimately, Parliament then can be truly accountable to the British people and that's what people voted for in 2016.

It's what that clear message that I and many others got joined the General Election and we can deliver on that democratic decision, get Brexit done, leave on 31st January and then get onto a trade deal with the EU."

Nick Ferrari asked how long the implementation period is.

He replied: "It's till the end of 2020. so we're very clear, we don't want this dragging on. There's a shared intent, the EU have agreed to that deadline.

"It's set out in the political declaration that this can be done by the end of 2020 and we want to get cracking with it."

Nick put it to him that some people think that might not be enough time.

Barclay said: "Well, their usually the same ones, Nick, that said that we were never going to be able to change the withdrawal agreement, we could never get the backstop removed, that it was all impossible and too difficult and so forth.

"Then the same voices say this now. The fact is the EU themselves have agreed to this timeframe, it's set out in black and white, part five of the political declaration that we're going to have an ambitious relationship by the end of 2020.

That's what we're committed to. That's what we're going to deliver."