The British government will not say much about how Brexit will unfold before it triggers Article 50, the formal step that will kick off negotiations on the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU, Brexit minister David Davis said on Monday.
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The attack came as both Mr Davis and Downing Street dismissed a Lords report demanding Parliament also have a say in triggering Article 50, which launches formal Brexit talks.
In comments made to a parliamentary committee, he added that Article 50 will not be triggered until his department, the Department for Exiting the European Union, is fully staffed. The date when that will happen is not known.
Davis is preparing to lead a minimum two-year negotiation process with the European Union over the terms of Britain’s future relationship on everything from trade to immigration after Britons voted to withdraw from the bloc at a referendum in June.
But Mr Davis said the Government has the power to press ahead without a vote and will do so early in the new year. He added that he thinks the U.K.is unlikely to end up in a situation where it doesn’t strike a deal on its new relationship with the European Union and must rely on World Trade Organization rules.
Elsewhere in the session, Davis said that the House of Lords, where the government can not be certain of a majority in favor of its Brexit plans, should be careful about opposing a move backed by such a substantial referendum vote.
Mr Knight, who represents Solihull, suggested the answer indicated a clear shift in the Government’s position, adding: “The blue passport is a symbol of our independence as a strong, proud nation”. He said the department would need to study how Brexit would affect the United Kingdom economy before formally starting negotiations, including an assessment of non-tariff barriers.
“A proposal that could put Parliament in opposition to the people over something as simple as this is an extraordinary one”.
The so-called Brexit Department, a ministry set-up by May in reaction to the Leave vote at the referendum, will lead the government’s negotiation efforts. But the ballot didn’t cover what sort of relationship Britain should have with the bloc after it left, and British politicians are torn over how the negotiations should be handled and to what extent Parliament and the public should have a say on the matter.While some argue the United Kingdom should have a relationship that is as close as possible with the rest of Europe, others say it should prioritize full control over immigration, even at the expense of access to the EU’s single market, which could put British companies at a disadvantage.
“Parliament should be asked to approve the decision to trigger Article 50”.
Committee chairman Lord Lang of Monkton said: “The referendum result was clear and it is right that the Government are preparing to take Britain out of the EU”.
Mr Davis said there was no need for a second referendum, an election or vote in Parliament before triggering Article 50 and denied that the result of the referendum was only advisory.
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The former PM of Belgium added: ” If UK wants access to the Single Market, it must also accept the free movement of citizens.
