EDINBURGH (Sputnik) — The new unit will lay out options for the Cabinet on how the he British government can best manage the administrative withdrawal from the European Union.
Oliver Letwin: "I can only say the baby is being firmly held and I want the baby to prosper as the baby is our country."
— steve hawkes (@steve_hawkes) 5 July 2016
"The EU Unit will be in regular contact with Number 10 [the Prime Minister's Office] and other government departments in the course of its work and will report directly to the Cabinet. It will examine all the options and possibilities in an objective way and set out the costs and benefits to enable the right decisions to be made," Thompson said.
The @CommonsForeign session is focusing on our new EU unit & the work it's doing to prepare for future negotiations https://t.co/wtBNnEaZ9Y
— Cabinet Office (@cabinetofficeuk) 5 July 2016
Thompson's comments came shortly after Oliver Letwin, the Minister for Government Policy at the Cabinet Office, was cross-examined, on Tuesday afternoon, by members of parliamentary Foreign Affairs Select Committee over the preparations the government was taking for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.
Letwin reveals govt lawyers have advised Article 50 is a prerogative power so triggered by PM not parliament.
— Patrick Wintour (@patrickwintour) 5 July 2016
Letwin, who chairs the new EU unit of the Cabinet Office, told the Committee that both he and Permanent Secretary Oliver Robbins, who took up his new position on Monday, were still in the process of building a team to undertake the work.
The cabinet minister said one particular area already identified as a potential problem for the UK government was the lack of experienced trade negotiators who would be needed to put in place new trade deals between the United Kingdom and other trading nations.
Oliver Letwin believes leaving the EU will require some legislation, amending or repealing the 1972 Act
— Christopher Howarth (@CJCHowarth) 5 July 2016
Letwin added that his unit would ultimately present a series of papers laying out options for the current Cabinet which he also hoped would inform the incoming administration once it has been formed.
On June 23, British voters took part in a referendum and decided to back a UK exit from the European Union, by 52 percent to 48 percent.
