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BREXIT SECRETARY DAVID Davis has insisted today that he expects the UK to reach agreement on the terms of a transition deal for leaving the European Union “before the end of March”.
The UK is set to officially leave the EU in March 2019, but plans to abide by many of the EU’s rules for around two years to make the transition more orderly.
Davis said that Britain and the EU should have agreed the “substantive” terms of their permanent future relationship by March 2019.
But the structure of the transition deal, which is expected to run until 2020/21, is the cause of heated debate.
“I would expect it before the end of March,” Davis told a parliamentary committee when asked when the terms of the transition deal would be agreed.
I’m relaxed about transition because my primary concern is about the future relationship, that’s what matters, that’s what people will judge us on in 10, 20, 30 years time.
The minister said a transition deal was essential to give governments and businesses time to adapt to the future arrangement.
Davis said that during this period, “we will be replicating to a very large extent the operations of the single market and customs union” and that the UK would remain subject to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Brexit supporters from Davis’s own Conservative party criticised the plans, saying Britain would be a “vassal state” of the EU during this period.
“If on 30 March 2019, the UK is subject to the ECJ, takes new rules relating to the single market and is paying into the European budget, are we not a vassal state?” asked MP Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Citizens rights ‘moral issue’
Davis replied that in the future Britain would no longer be bound by the rules of membership of the EU’s custom union that are currently preventing it from negotiating trade deals with nations outside the EU.
However, he did admit that this issue could be a sticking point in upcoming negotiations on the transition deal and that Britain would probably have to abide by new rules handed down by the EU during the transition, without having a say on them.
He also revealed that Britain would continue paying into the EU during the transition period, potentially before all the details of the final deal have been agreed, but stressed that Britain would not pay to access the single market as part of the permanent deal.
Davis moved to calm fears of EU citizens living in Britain, saying they would be taken care of even if Britain crashed out without a deal.
“One way or another we will resolve this issue. I’d say to anyone who is worried about this issue: don’t be,” he said, calling it a “moral issue”.
Representatives from Britain’s Brexit department have been meeting with EU officials in Brussels in recent weeks, said Davis, but formal negotiations will restart in March.
British MPs gave the green light last week to a landmark Brexit bill that will transfer four decades of EU rules onto the British statute books, although it faces a battle in passing the upper House of Lords.
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‘‘Tis my money. I just didn’t want to fill out de forms”
Would it be too hard to put a gps tracking device into an ATM?
@artie kelly: Yes but what if the ATM just wanted to go for an evening stroll?
@artie kelly: exactly what I was thinking. And surely some sort of alarm notification once it has been “removed” from the wall. Banks love their money so much I’m surprised there isn’t that kind of setup
@Neil Mac: Banks love YOUR money. They’ve got none of their own, remember?
@Michael Lynch: well said.
Usually it’s the bank who rob the public.
Someone forgot their atm card again
The thieves got away with nothing as the ATM was empty of funds because the tight Caaaavan heures keep all their money under the mattress.
Matter of time before discount stores are selling diggers
‘Thieves rob ATM without using a digger’. Now that will be newsworthy!
@P Mc G: it’s amazing them Cavan people trust the banks
Good news! With the corruption in this country from the top down, why not join the Frey and make the best of it.
Border rats. Hard Brexit is most welcome.
Will the hard border will put a stop to this?
@Random_paddy: one in Cavan ,one in Dungannon ,both sides of the border
Ha, makes a change though. Usually they just walked in and took it. Ffs that bank has been robbed 2 or 3 times in the last 10 years. Sure there used to be a another bank across the road from it. One year they robbed that one and then went across the street to the other and robbed it before getting away.
Do these people not realise that they have security features that destroy the money inside?
@Dan Skelton: ways around everything
@Dan Skelton: they actually open it under water and the ink is oil based and floats to the top then they wash the notes with vanish from the supermarket.
@Eoin Kenny: No, the container has no top and simply spills dye when the machine is moved over a certain degree. Banks deserve to be hit like this when they don’t install the dye in all machines.
Would it be too hard to put a gps tracking device on atms??
Why is there no automatic alarm built in to ATM machines or a GPS tracker??
So what’s new?
ATMs need to be removed from small towns and placed in Garda stations.
@Tim McCormack29: or Garda stations with permanent officers need to be placed in small towns. Having them in Garda stations would not suit a lot of people
@Tim McCormack29:
Would you trust the Gardai ?
@Barry Foster:
Far more than I would trust the banks.
@Tim McCormack29: is there not a Garda station in Kingscourt? Or is it one of those unmanned ones..
Election funding!
How about a self destruct charge which would go up 20 seconds after the atm was removed…..a nice big one!!
have your say