EUROPEAN UNI0N
Davis strikes confident tone in seeking ‘Canada plus’ Brexit
London — Britain is aiming to secure a comprehensive free trade deal with the EU and wants it to be signed shortly after it leaves the bloc in 2019, Brexit minister David Davis said on Sunday. After securing an initial agreement on Friday to move Brexit talks to a second phase, Prime Minister Theresa May is keen to start discussing future ties with the EU, and especially the type of trading agreement that will offer greater certainty for businesses. But despite Davis striking a confident tone, EU officials say they will only launch negotiations on a legally binding treaty after Britain leaves and becomes a "third country", according to draft negotiating guidelines. "It’s not that complicated, it comes right back to the alignment point.... We start in full alignment, we start in complete convergence so we can work it out from there," Davis told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. "The thing is how we manage divergence so it doesn’t undercut the access to the market," he said, describing his ...
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