Greg Clark hints post-Brexit transition period could be extended beyond December 2020

Greg Clark has hinted the post-Brexit transition period could be extended beyond December 2020, as he claimed “any reasonable person” would be guided by evidence.

The remarks from the business secretary are likely to enrage some Conservative Brexiteers, after a group of more than 30 MPs wrote to Theresa May warning they are not prepared to accept any extension to the transition period.

As it stands, the Brexit transition is due to end on 31 December 2020 – 21 months after Britain formally leaves the European Union on 29 March 2019.

But when pressed on the contentious issue, Mr Clark left the door open to extending the period already agreed with the EU27.

He told Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News: “At all times we need to be guided by the evidence on this, speaking to the people that run this very successful port [Dover] and the same with Eurotunnel, in order to make sure that we can continue the success, and that we don’t have frictions, there are things that would need to (be) put in place, computer systems for example, posts at the border, even if they checked, automatically, number plates.

“What we need to assess is how long it would reasonably take to put in practice and then it seems to me that any reasonable person would have to be guided by the facts and the evidence.”

Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, has already said he would be prepared to accept an extension to the transition period. “Having waited 40-odd years to leave the EU, a few extra months doesn’t bother me if we’re getting it right,” he said last week.

He continued: “What I wanted was that we were outside of the single market and the customs union and outside the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

“That’s where I think we’re going to end up. If we do it slightly more slowly in order to minimise any disruption that’s fine by me.”

But Andrea Jenkyns, who quit a junior government role to campaign on Brexit, made clear in her letter, alongside more than 30 Tory MPs, that they are not prepared to accept such a move and called on Ms May to show “courage and leadership”.

The group said: “Our departure must be absolute. We must not remain entangled with the EU’s institutions if this restricts our ability to exercise our sovereignty as an independent nation.

“Anything less will be a weakening of our democracy. Britain must stand firm.”

In a sign that a longer transition period could be accepted across the political divide, those comments were earlier echoed by Jeremy Corbyn, who said he believed the transition period after Brexit would be extended.

“At the moment it’s not set in stone,” he told Sophy Ridge on Sunday. “It’s talked around for two years. I’ve got a feeling it might go beyond on that.”

Pressed on whether he would be “happy” with that scenario, he replied: “Yes.”

It comes after The Independent revealed that EU negotiators have abandoned all hope that a Brexit deal will be signed with the UK at October’s European Council summit.

“There is no hope really for October now. We don’t know exactly what she is asking for yet, so how can there be?” one Brussels insider said.

They added: “First the UK needs to decide what it wants, then there needs to be a discussion here and even if it is acceptable, there are processes that have to take place first before everyone agrees to move forward.”