Yesterday, the long-awaited White Paper on the UK’s future relationship with the European Union was finally published by the UK Government, at the end of a tumultuous week which saw the resignations of Boris Johnson and David Davis over their disagreements with the proposal and another reshuffle at the top of Cabinet.
With just nine months to go until Britain formally exits the European Union, the White Paper belatedly provides some clarity on the kind of Brexit deal the UK Government intends to fight for in Brussels – clarity which the RIBA has long called for since the vote to leave the EU.
The UK Government spells out in the White Paper that it intends to seek a free trade area for goods with the EU to provide ‘frictionless’ border access and avoid customs declarations, made possible by the UK signing up to a ‘common rulebook’ for goods regulation and product standards etc, with the UK prepared to commit by treaty to ongoing harmonisation with the relevant EU rules.
As part of this approach, the UK plans to ensure that the British Standards Institute remains part of the European standards bodies (including CEN and CENELEC) to ensure consistency between UK and EU product standards. The RIBA – along with RICS, the RTPI and CIOB – wrote to the Business Secretary in June welcoming his efforts to ensure the British Standards Institute remains a part of the European standards system, which was identified as a priority by our members in Global by Design 2018.
The White Paper also sets out a plan for separate, new arrangements for services ‘giving the UK the freedom to chart its own path in the areas that matter most for its economy,’ ensuring the UK is best placed to capitalise on ‘the industries of the future.’ The proposal accepts, however, thatthe UK and the EU will not have current levels of access to each other’s markets. Importantly, this proposal would include Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications between the UK and the EU, which the RIBA has identified as a top priority from the Brexit negotiations and consistently called for a commitment on.
On customs, the UK intends to negotiate what it calls a ‘Facilitated Customs Agreement’ which would remove the need for customs checks and controls between the UK and the EU. The White Paper argues this would still allow the UK to set its own external tariffs for the rest of the world and so seek its own new trade agreements – but, significantly, offers little detail about when this new system might be up and running.
Finally, the White Paper restates the government’s commitment to ending free movement of people from December 2020 and replacing it with a new immigration system. The details of this new system will be published in another White Paper in the autumn, but here the government envisages that the UK will ‘want to continue to attract the brightest and best, from the EU and elsewhere,’ and ‘support businesses to provide services and to move talented people.’
The new Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab will now have to negotiate the final outcome with the EU’s negotiators and both Houses of Parliament must still vote on that final deal.
Commenting on the White Paper, RIBA CEO Alan Vallance said “We welcome the proposals for continued Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications for architects – a measure that has been consistently highlighted as a top priority for the sector. However, the White Paper concedes that the UK and EU ‘will not have current levels of access to each other’s markets’ and the Government must, as a priority, spell out what the trade-offs will be.”
“The announcement made today will count for little unless the Government delivers an agreement with the EU that furthers UK architecture’s global reputation for quality, innovation and high standards and ensures a secure post-Brexit future for our profession.”
Read the Brexit White Paper in full.
