Two new white papers, published in response to mounting deadlock in Brussels, also envisage the appointment of many new Whitehall officials to cope with other negative effects on the economy. Despite pre-referendum promises that Brexit would rid Britain of both excessive red tape and bureaucrats, Theresa May said the new proposals were necessary to “minimise disruption” in the event of talks collapsing. A separate trade paper published by Liam Fox’s Department for International Trade acknowledges that any deals struck outside the EU will have to put on hold during any such transition. Instead, it focuses on the administrative steps that will have to be put in place to prepare for when Britain does eventually strike out on its own with new international trade deals. “If a particular domestic industry suffers harm as a result of distortions of international trade (including through state-assisted subsidies and dumping), trade, remedy measures can be used as a safety valve to ensure fair trade,” said the trade white paper.

Source: The Guardian October 09, 2017 19:18 UTC