MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2019) UK cabinet minister and lawmaker Michael Gove said in an interview with BBC Radio on Tuesday that the country would conclude a trade deal with the EU by the end of 2020 without extending its transition period despite the prime minister's previous failure to meet the Brexit deadline.
According to the interviewee, the UK government will not extend the transition period as it plans to conclude a proper free trade agreement with the EU by the end of 2020 though it may seem rather complicated after previous attempt failed. He stated that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a deal with the EU within just 90 days, and this would not have happened if Jeremy Corbyn was the prime minister.
He also stated that the Labour party could not conclude an agreement with the EU due to ongoing internal disputes. In particular, he quoted the party's shadow home secretary, Diane Abbot, who said that no matter what deal Jeremy Corbyn would make, she was going to campaign against it.
"The best way to get Brexit done is to have a majority conservative government," he said.
At the same time, Gove stressed the difficulties the government faced during the recent period.
"We have a paralyzed parliament, which will not give the prime minister the opportunity to conclude this good Brexit deal. And what we need to do is to break this impasse and the logjam, and make sure that we get the withdrawal agreement concluded, so we can then move on to ensure that we have a strong relationship with the EU built on free trade and friendly cooperation," the official added.
Gove also stated that reaching a deal by the end of 2020 would be economically beneficial to all parties involved, hence, the EU would be as flexible as the UK.
While answering a question on Corbyn's plans to get a deal concluded, he said that the Larbour party leader's claim that he could renegotiate the Brexit deal within three months was "beyond the realms of fantasy ... it's a fairytale." He also condemned Corbyn's ideas on holding a new referendum, as it would paralyze the situation even further, and called him a "non-league player".
When asked about a report regarding Russian interference in UK policy, Gove defended the prime minister's refusal to publish it, though the former head of the UK's MI5 security service stated that the election was not a reason to withhold the document.
Gove also cited Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, who opposed Johnson's plans saying that this would damage the UK economy and lead to the breakup of the union.
