NEW: Government threatens to “move away” ie quit talk with EU in June, and “focus solely” on domestic preps for WTO trade relationship with EU, if progress not made by then on “least controversial” areas such as financial services equivalence 
UK mandate emphasises wish for a trading relationship with the EU based on its existing precedents with Canada, Japan and South Korea. Key areas of the EU’s mandate calling for enforceable and binding “level playing field” in areas such as competition & aid for industry rejected.
“The Government will work hard to agree arrangements on these lines. However if it is not possible to negotiate a satisfactory outcome, then the trading relationship with the EU will rest on the 2019 Withdrawal Agreement and will look similar to Australia’s” ie WTO, document says
Government also played down the prospect of doing an immediate numerical economic assessment of the introduction of new trading arrangements with the European Union, although a public consultation will begin in spring, after the formal start of negotiations.
document also says hopes broad outline of an agreement should be clear by June, & capable of being “rapidly finalised” by Sept. In meantime will push on for preps for reintroduction of customs & regulatory formalities on trade with EU in Jan 2021, & expects biz to follow suit...
Gove tells Commons that Government is wholly committed to the Withdrawal Agreement and giving effect to the Political Declaration...
And that there will be “no border down the IRish Sea - we will make sure there is unfettered access for NI businesses to rest of UK” - but GB-NI?
And that there will be “no border down the IRish Sea - we will make sure there is unfettered access for NI businesses to rest of UK” - but GB-NI?
IDS making the point about the NI Protocol having implications for EU rules over state aid across the whole EU - Gove says it doesn’t
Barnier response:
