: The Chancellor said
after the referendum that to lose single market access would be
“catastrophic”. A few days later, the Health Secretary said:
“The first part of the plan must be clarity that we will remain
in the single market”.
The Prime Minister said something about “frictionless” access to
the single market and a bespoke customs union deal. Could she
give us a little bit of certainty and clarity about this? Has she
ruled out paying any kind of fee to achieve access to what she
describes as a “frictionless” market?
The Prime Minister: Access to the single market
was exactly what I was talking about yesterday in my speech. One
of the key objectives is that we negotiate a free trade agreement
with the European Union that gives us the widest possible access
for trading with, and operating within, the European Union.
The right hon. Gentleman talks about frictionless access.
Actually, this was a separate point about frictionless borders in
relation to the customs issue—a very important issue for us
regarding the relationship between Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland. The Taoiseach and I, and all parties, are
absolutely on a single page about this. We want to ensure that we
have the best possible arrangement that does not lead to the
borders of the past for Northern Ireland.
