British government warned against Swiss-style, EU ties
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Despite officials privately citing a longer-term agreement to move closer to Brussels, the denial comes as a surprise.
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Source: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images.
After being cautioned against pursuing a closer alignment with the trading bloc by some of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's eurosceptic lawmakers, the British government declared that it has no plans to adopt a Swiss-style relationship with the European Union.
According to The Sunday Times, Sunak's administration will strive for frictionless trade with the EU, which Britain left in January 2020. According to the newspaper, a potential agreement might be modeled after Switzerland's EU relationship but would not include a restoration of freedom of movement.
Switzerland has access to the EU single market, but in exchange must agree to restrictions like freedom of movement and contributions to the bloc's budget - a plan that British ministers previously rejected during negotiations with Brussels. "I don't recognise this story at all," Health Minister Steve Barclay told Sky News. "I don't support that. I want to maximise the opportunities that Brexit offers."
A UK Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, "These reports are categorically untrue."
Former Minister Simon Clarke was one of those who criticized any notion that Britain might pursue a deal akin to that of Switzerland. On Twitter, he expressed his hope and conviction that a Swiss-style agreement "isn't something under consideration."
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If the allegations are true, David Frost, the chief Brexit negotiator for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said he hoped "the government thinks better of these plans, fast." Nigel Farage, one of the most high-profile faces of the campaign to leave the EU, said on Twitter: "This level of betrayal will never be forgiven."
Since the country's citizens decided to leave the European Union in 2016, which triggered years of challenging negotiations with Brussels over an exit deal, Britain's ruling Conservatives have lurched from crisis to crisis.
The British government claimed during those negotiations that the Swiss-style model of EU relations was inappropriate for Britain because it required the UK to abide by EU laws without having any input into them and concede to worker mobility for EU citizens.
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The Northern Ireland protocol, a component of the Brexit agreement that required checks on some goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom due to the province's open land border with EU member Ireland, is the subject of ongoing negotiations between Britain and the EU.
Earlier today, a so-called Swiss-style relationship with the EU is being considered by senior UK government officials as a means to ease trade barriers following the 2020 Brexit decision, The Times reported.
The newspaper reported that numerous members of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's cabinet want to establish streamlined economic ties with the EU by adopting the "Swiss model", which entails signing a number of bilateral agreements with Brussels. Behind closed doors, authorities stated that the change should occur over the following ten years and that it would be advantageous for all parties.
Government officials emphasized that the arrangement would not include freedom of movement.
According to Downing Street officials, the EU is becoming increasingly eager to enable strong economic links with the UK as a result of high inflation.
