Great Repeal Bill is actually a ‘Great Continuity Bill’, David Davis says

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Louise Thomas

Editor

The Government’s so-called Great Repeal Bill should in fact be known as the “Great Continuity Bill”, the Brexit Secretary has said.

Speaking during a trip to Washington to address the US Chamber of Commerce, David Davis coined the phrase to reassure representatives of American businesses that they would be able to trade with the UK on the same terms as the EU for now.

“When I return to Britain over the weekend the first thing I do when I get back to Parliament will be taking through a thing we used to call the Great Repeal Bill, which actually is the Great Continuity Bill – it keeps in our law all the standards that are there now,” he said.

The Secretary of State’s comments follow a claim by EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier that the UK appears to be experiencing a “nostalgia” for the benefits of the European Union. Mr Barnier, who was standing next to Mr Davis at the time, said the consequences of leaving the EU did not appear to have been considered in “sufficient depth” in the UK.

Mr Davis said the UK’s “overarching aim” in the Brexit talks was to secure a “successful future partnership” with the EU which delivers the “most seamless and frictionless trade in goods and services possible”.

Mr Davis added: “There are many that doubt this is possible but when I spoke to my European counterpart Michel Barnier I said to him once: ‘The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty’.

“And as ever on that front I am a determined optimist in this – we will get to those opportunities.

Theresa May was also keen to highlight Britain’s continuity with EU standards on her visit to Japan this week. The British Government hopes to “piggy back” on work done in the upcoming EU-Japan trade deal to ensure a UK-Japan can come online swiftly as well.

Negotiations so far have centred on Britain’s EU budget obligations, with the EU insisting the bill be agreed before talks can proceed to discuss areas like international trade.

Mr Davis declined to say whether Britain would be open to paying for access to the single market during any post-Brexit transition period and said London was closely examining the bill for exiting the EU.

“It is getting a bit tense. I rule nothing in, nothing out,” Mr Davis said.

Britain would also expect to conclude a free-trade agreement with the United States once a transition period with the EU ends, Mr Davis said in Washington. But he cautioned that any deal between two large economies such as Britain and the United States would be “quite complex”.

The US Chamber of Commerce’s head of international affairs, Myron Brilliant, called on Mr Davis to lay out a clear path for Brexit for the 7,500 US companies with operations in Britain – one that had “predictable transition periods” that minimised business disruption.

The Brexit Secretary also appeared to issue a warning to Donald Trump, arguing that world leaders must not “turn our back on globalisation”.

Addressing the problems of the world economy, he said: “My message is clear. The answer to these challenges is not to turn inwards and become isolationist.”

On the campaign trail and since becoming president in January, Mr Trump has exhibited a protectionist and isolationist agenda on trade, critics have said.

Upon taking office, the President abandoned the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, an ambitious multinational trade agreement brokered by his predecessor Barack Obama. He called the pact “another disaster” for US workers, and has suggested that the US would now only form trade agreements with individual allies.

In July, Mr Trump touted plans for a “major trade deal” with a post-Brexit UK while also criticising the EU.

“Working on major Trade Deal with the United Kingdom. Could be very big & exciting. JOBS! The E.U. is very protectionist with the U.S. STOP!” the US President tweeted.

Mr Trump’s tweet came as Liam Fox, the UK International Trade Secretary, visited Washington to begin discussions for a new trade pact. The UK is prohibited from holding formal trade negotiations with any other country until it leaves the EU.

Mr Trump’s prioritising of a US-UK trade agreement appears to be a reversal of the Obama administration’s position toward the matter. Mr Trump’s predecessor had warned that Britain would be at the back of the queue for any trade talks with the US should it leave the EU.

Even though Mr Trump has said he wants to see the two countries quickly seal a bilateral trade deal, it often takes years to negotiate tariff and non-tariff barriers in areas such as agriculture and the car industry. The agreement will also require the approval of US Congress.

The President has also indicated he will only sign trade agreements that he views will benefit American workers and will keep jobs in the US.