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UK Trade with EU

Question for Department for Exiting the European Union

UIN HL5758, tabled on 21 February 2018

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential consequences should the EU reject the managed divergence approach to trade.

Answered on

1 March 2018

We are fully focused on making the UK’s exit from the EU, and our new trading relationship with the world, a success. The Government has been undertaking rigorous and extensive analysis work to support our exit negotiations, in order to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.

In our negotiations with the EU, the UK is seeking to secure a new, deep and special partnership. We propose the greatest possible tariff-free and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours based on our rules and regulations being the same at the start, and on maintaining our commitment to free trade and high standards.

However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes and that is exactly what we are doing across the whole of Government. Every Government department continues to work to ensure a smooth exit from the EU in all eventualities.