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12.48pm GMT
12.26pm GMT
Here’s the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent, Jennifer Rankin, responding to Sajid Javid‘s comments from this morning:
Sajid Javid tells @RidgeOnSunday that an EU–UK trade deal can be “done certainly by the end of next year, of that I have no doubt”.
Senior EU diplomat this week: “Not in my wildest dreams would I imagine that a possibility.”
Two canards in Sajid Javid comments. 1. He suggests the 11-month timetable possible because “most of the work has already been done”.
But that’s not true. UK government has made preparations, but trade talks have not even begun.
Second canard: Sajid Javid suggests talks will go quickly because “the EU and the UK are aligned, we agree on all the key principles”. But it’s the de-alignment that’s going to be so difficult. That’s why the EU diplomat cannot imagine wrapping up talks in 11 months.
Source: General election 2019: Conservatives to launch manifesto with tax pledges – live news
