David Davis is willing to 'live with' shorter Brexit transition period than UK wanted
'I'm not bothered too much about the question of whether it is Christmas 2020 or Easter 2021'
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Your support makes all the difference.David Davis has said he is willing to “live with” accepting a shorter Brexit transition period than the UK originally wanted.
The comments from the Brexit Secretary come ahead of a meeting with his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, in Brussels on Monday for the next round of high-level talks.
It is expected they will discuss the transition, the period after Brexit in which the UK will be bound by EU rules despite being outside the bloc.
Theresa May has called for an transition period- of “around two years” after Britain formally leaves the bloc on 29 March 2019.
But Mr Davis told BBC2’s Newsnight he could “live with” the proposed arrangement ending in December 2020 if that would help secure a better deal. Brussels has previously said the transition should not go beyond 2020.
Mr Davis said the Government’s priority is to secure an agreement on the transition phase at next week's EU heads of government summit, adding: “That is more important to me than a few months either way.
”So, I'm not bothered too much about the question of whether it is Christmas 2020 or Easter 2021.“
Asked if he could live with the transition ending in December 2020, Mr Davis said: “I would live with that. We are still in the middle of a negotiation. Frankly, what I would not do is delay the decision in order to get a month or two more.”
Mr Davis downplayed concerns expressed by arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg that Britain would be a “vassal state” during the transition. He said most EU laws take two years to pass, which is three months longer than the proposed transition timetable.
Mr Davis said: “It is not going to be a big material issue. But we want to have in place, and we will have in place, is a joint committee which will oversee any issues like this that come up and a duty of good faith, good faith on both sides so neither side is disadvantaged. So, we won't fall into Mr Rees-Mogg's interesting definition of our position.”
Mr Davis said his team had been working “flat out” in discussions with the EU, mainly in Brussels, adding: “That will continue through this weekend, and I shall join them on Sunday, and we'll have another meeting with Michel on Monday."
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