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UK Trade Secretary: No-Deal Brexit Better Than Extension of Talks

With just eight months remaining, the deadline for Brexit is fast approaching, and some politicians have called for the negotiating period to be extended to ensure the UK and Brussels can finalize details of Britain’s future relationship with the EU in time.
Sputnik

British International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has insisted that a hard Brexit would be better than extending the negotiating period, in line with the hardline Brexiteer’s stance, The Independent reported on Friday.

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Earlier this week, Ireland’s deputy PM, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, said it would be sensible for the UK to delay Brexit to give itself more time to negotiate with the EU, diminishing the prospect of a no-deal scenario.

Although other politicians have suggested this would be a prudent move, Minister Liam Fox said it would constitute a “complete betrayal” of those who voted to withdraw from the EU via the nationwide 2016 referendum.

"The public have told us, it wasn't a consultation, to leave the EU, and the public already wonders why it's going to take more than four years after the referendum for us to fully remove ourselves from the EU," British International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said.

"To attempt to extend our membership even longer, many voters would regard as a complete betrayal by the political class, and I think they would be right."

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Moreover, Fox accused Brussels of prioritizing its "political ideology" above the economic benefits of giving the UK a favorable deal, claiming this negotiating strategy could force Britain to crash out of the trading bloc without a deal in place.

In addition to calls for the negotiating period to be extended, campaigners are calling for a second referendum to be held to give the electorate an opportunity to bail out of Brexit.

However, despite a petition calling for this receiving over 250,000 signatures in 48 hours, there’s been no indication from the government that it plans to hold another vote.

READ MORE: Final Say: Former UK Deputy PM Backs Campaign for Second Brexit Referendum

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