Molly Scott Cato: “Most people voted for Brexit on the understanding that we would remain inside the single market and customs union; it’s not too late for the government to admit its historic mistake.”
The Green Party has repeated its commitment to a stronger and closer relationship with the EU, including negotiations to rejoin the customs union.
The call coincides with Europe Day celebrating peace and unity in Europe, and comes after tension between the UK and France over the latters’ fishing rights off the coast of Jersey.
Brexit spokesperson for the Green Party, Molly Scott Cato, said:
“The current arrangement with the EU has threatened peace and security in Northern Ireland and now in Jersey as well as devastating so many industries including music, finance, food and fisheries. We don’t see the now formally adopted Trade and Cooperation Agreement as the end of the story but as a foundation on which to build a stronger and closer relationship.
“That is why the Green Party on Europe Day is again calling on the government to begin to build back a closer relationship with the EU, starting with a veterinary agreement and a request to begin negotiations to rejoin the customs union. These two agreements would augment greater EU-UK trade and cooperation ties and limit the chaos we have seen at borders.
“Rejoining the customs union and developing a deeper agreement in veterinary standards would mean an end to the lengthy, complicated bureaucratic processes businesses have to go through to import and export goods at a time of financial uncertainty for many.
“Business owners are realising it was a mistake to agree to such a hard Brexit and it’s time this is reversed. At the time of the referendum most people thought we would be continuing our membership of the single market and customs union and only leaving the political institutions. It’s not too late for the government to admit its historic mistake.” [2]
ENDS
Notes
1
https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2021/02/05/green-party-calls-for-return-to-customs-union/
2