Brexit minister confirms bumpy EU departure will hurt Europe as well as UK
A junior minister from the Brexit department has today become the latest in a string of voices to say a bad Brexit deal will harm Europe.
In a grilling with the House of Lords on transition periods, parliamentary under secretary of state Lord Bridges of Headley said: "We want to have a smooth and orderly exit and, as the governor of the Bank fo England pointed out yesterday, it is as much in our interest as it is the rest of the European Union."
Bridges added conversations the department had held with various businesses sectors revealed there was substantial appetite for a transition period.
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Mark Carney told the influential Treasury Select Committee yesterday: "The consequence [of a bad Brexit deal with no transition period] would be greater for Europe than the UK".
However, Bridges refused to go as far today as to confirm that a transition deal was definitely on the government's negotiating wishlist, merely saying: "The government is considering all possible options."
Bridges also confirmed his department was of the opinion that, once the Article 50 notification had been lodged with the EU member states, "it will not be withdrawn". This technical point was also discussed by the government's legal team when the Article 50 case was being heard in the High Court.