Deepening divisions, Britain's Johnson calls customs plan "crazy"

 

Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson leaves a Brexit subcommittee meeting at Downing Street in London, Britain, May 2, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's proposal for a customs partnership with the European Union after Brexit is "crazy", foreign minister Boris Johnson said, deepening divisions that are challenging Prime Minister Theresa May.

 

Johnson, in Washington to try to win over U.S. President Donald Trump to the Iran nuclear deal, spoke to the Daily Mail newspaper to add his voice to an increasingly bad-tempered debate over Britain's future customs arrangements.

 

Brexit campaigners have come out against what some say is May's preferred option for future ties with the EU, throwing their weight behind another proposal - one dependent on technology to make any new customs facilities as invisible as possible.

 

After business minister Greg Clark again made the case for the customs partnership, which would effectively see Britain collect tariffs for the EU, Johnson responded by saying it was a "crazy system".

 

"It's totally untried and would make it very, very difficult to do free trade deals," Johnson said in an interview published in Tuesday's Daily Mail.

 

"If you have the new customs partnership, you have a crazy system whereby you end up collecting the tariffs on behalf of the EU at the UK frontier."

 

He said that was "not taking back control" of Britain's trade policy, laws, borders or money, repeating his main arguments used before the referendum on EU membership in 2016.

 

May's decision to leave the EU's customs union, which sets tariffs for goods imported into the bloc, has become one of the main flashpoints in the Brexit debate in Britain, pitting companies and pro-EU campaigners against a vocal group of hardline eurosceptic lawmakers.

 

The prime minister has to tread a fine line, mindful of fears that any new customs infrastructure at the border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland could reignite sectarian violence that has not been seen for decades.

 

A meeting of her so-called Brexit war committee failed to come up with an answer to the future customs arrangements last week and ministers have said that they will take their time to make sure they agree on the "right" solution.

 

(Reporting by Michael Holden and Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Kate Holton and Andrew Heavens)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-08

Walking away from tarrif free trade within the world’s largest trading bloc in the hope that you might be able to find deals elsewhere is crazy.

 

Do the right thing, bin Brexit.

25 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Walking away from tarrif free trade within the world’s largest trading bloc in the hope that you might be able to find deals elsewhere is crazy.

 

Do the right thing, bin Brexit.

 

Boris and his fellow Brexiters want a return to the old days - where the gap between the rich elite minority and the rest of the citizens was massive. Their mindset is in the old days of Empire, with the ruling class really ruling. 

 

And a great many swallow their warped vision without realizing the consequences. But for Boris and his mates, life will always be rosy.

He might try and groom his hair like an adult. Part of any professional job is looking like an adult. You wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt for the job and you can't wear your hair like a hippie when you occupy such a high-level international position. Yes, yes, Trump's hair is a weird "disaster," but at least it's minimally quaffed, and besides, Trump is insane. This official presumably isn't.

11 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Boris and his fellow Brexiters want a return to the old days - where the gap between the rich elite minority and the rest of the citizens was massive. Their mindset is in the old days of Empire, with the ruling class really ruling. 

 

And a great many swallow their warped vision without realizing the consequences. But for Boris and his mates, life will always be rosy.

"Boris and his mates"? Boris Johnson is all about looking after Boris Johnson. 

2 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

He might try and groom his hair like an adult. Part of any professional job is looking like an adult. You wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt for the job and you can't wear your hair like a hippie when you occupy such a high-level international position. Yes, yes, Trump's hair is a weird "disaster," but at least it's minimally quaffed, and besides, Trump is insane. This official presumably isn't.

Obviously haven't seen him recently on tv! He's tidied up his hair. However, I think he's no longer being taken seriously by anyone.

5 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

He might try and groom his hair like an adult. Part of any professional job is looking like an adult. You wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt for the job and you can't wear your hair like a hippie when you occupy such a high-level international position. Yes, yes, Trump's hair is a weird "disaster," but at least it's minimally quaffed, and besides, Trump is insane. This official presumably isn't.

Insane? No not insane but a buffoon certainly.  Actually I think his hair suits him very well.  The man is a mess and his hair reflects that rather well.

Brexit was another lowest common denominator campaign

People persuaded/convinced that eu regs and laws were stifling britain and its people and that once unshackled there would be  a return of victorian prosperity.

Dancing round flagpoles, country fayres, pits reopened, jobs for all         ( long as you're white) etc etc.

The same people who were doing it tough pre brexit will probably do it tougher. 

Biggest nonsense ever perpetrated on the uk public and the likes of boris and his ilk must and will be laughing their heads off at good old british cannon fodder in the provinces.

Brexit stumbles on as headless and directionless as ever.  By having Johnson in the cabinet it ensures that nothing will get agreed any time soon.  For that you have to blame May.  She makes this more complicated every day.

On 5/8/2018 at 11:30 AM, webfact said:

Britain's proposal for a customs partnership with the European Union after Brexit is "crazy", foreign minister Boris Johnson said, deepening divisions that are challenging Prime Minister Theresa May.

How can one not support something johnson doesn't...bring on the customs partnership...