Britain's Fox: "impossible" to say if Brexit deal can be reached this month or next

Record ID: 1363116

  • Title: Britain's Fox: "impossible" to say if Brexit deal can be reached this month or next
  • Date: 6th November 2018
  • Summary: SHANGHAI, CHINA (NOVEMBER 6, 2018) (REUTERS) UK PAVILION AT CHINA INTERNATIONAL IMPORT EXPO VARIOUS OF UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE, LIAM FOX, BEING INTERVIEWED FAN PROJECTOR SHOWING UK NATIONAL FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (English) UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE, LIAM FOX, SAYING: "Well, that's impossible for me to say. But as the prime minister says we are ninety five percent there. We want to close that gap, we want there to be an agreement. We've always said it's better to have a deal than no deal. We've got some issues to deal with on the Irish border still, and we've made it very clear that we believe that no part of the United Kingdom can be treated differently from any other part. We simply have to work our way through that. We think there are answers to the practical issues involved. It's getting a question of the political confidence to close that agreement.' POPPY ON SUIT (SOUNDBITE) (English) UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE, LIAM FOX, SAYING: "I think the hurdles are surmountable. If we have the political interest I think that if there's an agreement between the UK government and the other EU twenty seven governments, it would be quite hard for parliament to vote that down in favour of no deal. I think voters would find that difficult.' FOX'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE, LIAM FOX, SAYING: "You know we've had all these surveys. On the day of the referendum you remember fifty eight percent said they voted to stay in the EU and it turned out something quite different. We've seen a range of surveys, and I've seen a lot of organisations especially those who are very much on the remain side try to make out the case that public opinion has changed. We had a referendum. We don't have a second general election because those who didn't win didn't like the result. Democracy is democracy." SIGN READING (Chinese): England (SOUNDBITE) (English) UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE, LIAM FOX, SAYING: "The earlier we get an agreement the better for all concerned. It gives better certainty in particular to our businesses, but also to citizens and what their future rights will be. So the quicker we get an agreement, the better. But in the end, it's more important we get the right agreement than the quickest agreement." VARIOUS OF UK PAVILION IN CHINA INTERNATIONAL IMPORT EXPO
  • Embargoed: 20th November 2018 10:40
  • Keywords: Brexit No-deal Liam Fox International trade UK EU CIIE
  • Location: SHANGHAI, CHINA
  • City: SHANGHAI, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00195D8VUV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:British secretary of state for international trade, Liam Fox, said on Tuesday (November 6) it was "impossible" for him to say if a Brexit deal could be reached with the European Union this month or next, but Britain wanted an agreement, and a deal is better than no deal.
    Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a trade fair in Shanghai, Fox said it was more important to get the right agreement than the quickest one.
    Asked whether a Brexit deal would be struck this month or next, Fox said: "That's impossible for me to say. But the prime minister says we are 95 percent there. We want to close that gap."
    With just five months until Britain is due to leave the EU, talks were mired in a disagreement over an Irish "backstop" - an insurance policy to ensure there will be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland - between British-ruled Northern Ireland and EU member state Ireland - if a future trading relationship is not in place in time.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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