Thread by @faisalislam

On #ALLOUTPOLITICS now my report from Oslo on the Norwegian option... featuring actual Norwegians (and Icelanders)

“I don’t want EFTA to be the rebound partner that the UK comes to after breaking up with the EU” says top governing party MP @vampus

Icelandic Foreign Min @GudlaugurThor reminds me his nation definitely not in EU & not only has he just signed an EFTA trade deal with Indonesia, but that Iceland signed one with China (one repeatedly cited by the Vote Leave campaign as an example). Says “v positive” re UK joining

General message from Norway:

- They’d love to have us long term.
- Not as a short term staging post.. Wd destabilise EFTA-EEA
- Icelanders v keen, and annoyed that UK pols keep on saying EEA is same as EU, and point to signed external trade deals (cited by Leave campaign in ref)

Also lastly - Iceland mentioned by name Twice in the official Vote Leave referendum leaflet... difficult to assert that its model is inherently a betrayal of referendum result, even if you might argue its wrong/bad/ unsuitable. Surprised EEAers don’t rebrand as “Iceland model”

FULL report... WATCH... #brexitforensics on EEA/EFTA from Oslo:

Norway - we don’t want you on the rebound from the EU but maybe longer term. & there is no fax machine.
Iceland: we do our own trade deals, & it’s a VG option for UK

READ: Full report on trip to Norway on why Oslo doesnt want to be UK’s post Brexit partner “on the rebound”, but open to longer Efta relationship - so could the “Iceland Option” be a Plan B if meaningful vote fails next week...?

news.sky.com/story/why-norw…