Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierre
just leave, clean break. hard Brexit then negotiate, if we covet the customs union then the EU think they have leverage over us.
If they want to slap tariffs on our exports, we can slap tariffs on theirs I'm sure they'd love their Audis, BMWs, VWs, Champagne, prosecco, cava, cheese to be more expensive against cars from the far east, sparkling chardonnay from the US and Australia.
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We'd have to slap tariffs on products throughout the world or have tariffs on none unless we had free trade agreements.
We can't trade tariff free with everyone as it'd destroy much of what's left of our manufacturing base.
We can't have free trade agreements until our schedule of tariffs and quotas is sorted with the WTO.
We need agreement from the 163+ members of the WTO on our schedule before it's ratified.
I appreciate if you listen to the three Brexiteers and their fan club none of this is an issue, there's no legal ambiguity at all and it'll be smooth as silk. I'm just going by what the guy in charge of accession to the WTO said, under the possibly mistaken impression he knows more these matters than Boris Johnson or David Davis.
It would be awesome if it were that simple, and businesses far less stressed.