Philip Hammond Says Brexit Transition Will “Look Very Similar” To EU Membership
28 July 2017, 11:39 | Updated: 28 July 2017, 11:47
Philip Hammond has told LBC Britain’s relationship with the EU will "look very similar” to the country's current arrangements the morning after Brexit takes place in 2019.
The Chancellor said a transitional deal with the bloc was paramount to protecting “jobs and British prosperity by avoiding a cliff edge”.
The news may leave some Brexit supporters unhappy - but Mr Hammond insisted transitional arrangements were necessary.
Speaking on Friday morning, he said: “There will be a period of time where we start with arrangements that look very similar to the day before we left the union.
“And we end up at a place that reflects the new agreement that we’ve made for a future trade relationship with the EU.”
Mr Hammond continued: “What people don’t want in this country is to wake up on the 29th March 2019 and find that the foreign produce; the Spanish tomatoes, the French cheese that they’re used to buying are simply not on the supermarket shelfs.
“They don’t want to go to the airport, fly off on holiday somewhere and find they can’t get on their plane.
“They’ll expect everything to be working orderly and smoothly the day after the European Union and it’s our job to make sure it does.”
You can watch the full interview below.
