Prime
Minister Theresa May indicated Tuesday that a no-deal Brexit would not be a
disaster for Britain, playing down warnings of serious consequences for the UK
economy.
May said she
was confident of striking an acceptable new deal with Brussels as Britain
prepares to leave the European Union in March.
She cited WTO
director general Roberto Azevedo as she made her case.
“Look at what
the director of the World Trade Organization has said,” she told British media
on her tour of Africa.
“He said
about a no-deal situation that it would not be a walk in the park but it
wouldn’t be the end of the world.”
Her government last week
outlined its preparations for a no-deal scenario.
“What the government is
doing is putting in place the preparations such that if we’re in that situation
we can make a success of it, just as we will make a success of the good deal I
believe we’re able to get and the good deal we’re working to get,” she said.
London and Brussels have
yet to reach an agreement on the terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc.
British lawmakers are split
on May’s proposals to keep Britain close to the EU on trade — parts of which
have since been rejected by Brussels.
London and Brussels hope to
strike a deal by October, to allow its ratification by the European and British
parliaments before Britain leaves the EU.
Last week, British finance
minister Philip Hammond warned a no-deal Brexit could have “large fiscal
consequences” on productivity and borrowing.
And Alexander Winterstein,
a European Commission spokesman, said the bloc was focused on achieving
Britain’s “orderly withdrawal” but “preparing for all possible outcomes”.
“The withdrawal of the UK
is going to lead to disruption regardless — with a deal or without a deal,” he
said.
May was asked about whether
she would instruct her Conservative lawmakers to support a no-deal Brexit if
her blueprint falls through.
“I’ve said right from the
beginning that no deal is better than a bad deal,” she said.
(AFP)
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