“The fact is that every free trade agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved. The prime minister’s vision was described by some as the softest Brexit possible outside the single market and customs union, but she pleased pro-leave MPs by hinting that future parliaments could opt for a harder form of Brexit. She insisted the UK would be leaving the EU customs union, but called for a new agreement that would secure “as frictionless a border as possible”. The first option has been described as unrealistic by EU officials, and even dismissed as blue-sky thinking by the Brexit secretary, David Davis. Q&A Brexit phrasebook: what is the customs union?

Source: The Guardian March 02, 2018 16:06 UTC