Ursula Von der Leyen arrives at the London School of Economics. Image: Frank Augstein/PA Images Ursula Von der Leyen arrives at the London School of Economics. Image: Frank Augstein/PA Images THE EU’S TOP official has told the UK it could lose its open access to the European market if it refused to extend post-Brexit partnership talks beyond 2020.
Johnson has insisted he will not push back the deadline but critics claim that the timescale is too tight to reach a new deal, a position von der Leyen suggested today. But Johnson is eager to brandish his Brexit credentials and reap what he considers to be the benefits of independence from Brussels. “It is not desirable at all to align our approaches, to tie our hands and to outsource regulation and effectively supervision of the world’s leading complex financial system to another jurisdiction,” he told the Financial Times.
Yesterday, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay insisted the government would stick to its EU departure timetable after facing calls to guarantee the UK will leave with a trade agreement. Clause 33 of the WAB seeks to prohibit ministers from trying to extend the implementation period, which would begin once the UK leaves the EU on 31 January.