Minister Tells LBC There Could Be A Brexit "Transition Period"
1 August 2019, 08:25
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury told LBC that the UK will "ultimately" leave the single market and customs union, but there could be a short transition period.
Tom Swarbrick asked Rishi Sunak the Chief Secretary to the Treasury if it was "absolutely certain" that the UK will leave the single market and the customs union by October the 31st.
The Tory MP said it was very clear that the UK was leaving the EU at the end of October, and "ultimately we will be leaving the single market and the customs union."
Tom asked the Minister what he meant when the said "ultimately," to which Mr Sunak said there could be some kind of "transition period" if an agreement could be reached with Europe.
The Chief Secretary said that Mr Johnson had been "very clear" that "we would prefer to see a deal."
He said the government would like to have a conversation with Europe about removing the backstop.
But that any deal that is struck could contain a "short transition period."
Tom pressed the Minister "when we say we're out, do or die, on the 31st, what we mean is we could well be out of the institutions but we may well choose to be in a transition period that leaves us technically inside the customs union and the single market?"
Watch the whole video at the top of the page to find out his answer.
