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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/29/fox-encouraged-by-thornberry-comment-on-blah-blah-blah-brexit-deal
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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Fox 'encouraged' by Thornberry comment on 'blah blah blah' Brexit deal | Fox 'encouraged' by Thornberry comment on 'blah blah blah' Brexit deal |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The most fervent Brexiter in the cabinet has said he is encouraged by the shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry’s suggestion that Labour would vote for an anodyne deal on leaving the European Union. | The most fervent Brexiter in the cabinet has said he is encouraged by the shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry’s suggestion that Labour would vote for an anodyne deal on leaving the European Union. |
| The international trade secretary, Liam Fox, said his confidence in getting a Brussels agreement acceptable to parliament was boosted by Thornberry’s remark that Labour would back a “blah blah blah” deal, despite the shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s insistence that she was being sarcastic. | The international trade secretary, Liam Fox, said his confidence in getting a Brussels agreement acceptable to parliament was boosted by Thornberry’s remark that Labour would back a “blah blah blah” deal, despite the shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s insistence that she was being sarcastic. |
| Fox was repeatedly asked by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday what would happen if MPs rejected what the government managed to negotiate with the EU before the UK leaves the bloc a year today. But he refused to contemplate such a scenario. | Fox was repeatedly asked by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday what would happen if MPs rejected what the government managed to negotiate with the EU before the UK leaves the bloc a year today. But he refused to contemplate such a scenario. |
| Fox said: “We are going to leave the European Union. We will want to get the best deal; we believe we will get a deal that parliament will accept. And I was very encouraged by some of the words from the Labour party yesterday, that they believe that they are likely to accept a deal that the government would come to.” | Fox said: “We are going to leave the European Union. We will want to get the best deal; we believe we will get a deal that parliament will accept. And I was very encouraged by some of the words from the Labour party yesterday, that they believe that they are likely to accept a deal that the government would come to.” |
| He was referring to remarks by Thornberry who suggested the government would be able to negotiate a deal that was sufficiently vague to pass Labour’s six tests. | He was referring to remarks by Thornberry who suggested the government would be able to negotiate a deal that was sufficiently vague to pass Labour’s six tests. |
| “If past evidence of the last few months is anything to go on, it’s going to be a blah, blah, blah divorce,” she told a Chatham House event. “We have our six tests. If you hold up blah, blah, blah, to six tests, you’ll probably pass it.” | “If past evidence of the last few months is anything to go on, it’s going to be a blah, blah, blah divorce,” she told a Chatham House event. “We have our six tests. If you hold up blah, blah, blah, to six tests, you’ll probably pass it.” |
| McDonnell tried to laugh off Thornberry’s comments but he said Labour would try to help the government get an acceptable deal. He said: “Emily responded in her personal way with a level of good old-fashioned British sarcasm.” | McDonnell tried to laugh off Thornberry’s comments but he said Labour would try to help the government get an acceptable deal. He said: “Emily responded in her personal way with a level of good old-fashioned British sarcasm.” |
| He told Today: “We set out six tests. If those tests are not met, and to be frank they are not being met at the moment, we would not support a deal” | He told Today: “We set out six tests. If those tests are not met, and to be frank they are not being met at the moment, we would not support a deal” |
| “We will assist them if necessary in making sure they do, but at the moment we are saying if they don’t meet those six tests we will not vote for the deal; we expect the government to do what parliament will instruct it to do: go back and negotiate a proper deal.” | “We will assist them if necessary in making sure they do, but at the moment we are saying if they don’t meet those six tests we will not vote for the deal; we expect the government to do what parliament will instruct it to do: go back and negotiate a proper deal.” |
| Fox said: “It is unclear from day to day what the Labour party actually does mean. I wasn’t clear yesterday which of them was speaking for the Labour party, but we’ll see. We believe it is in the economic interest of the UK to get a good deal.” | Fox said: “It is unclear from day to day what the Labour party actually does mean. I wasn’t clear yesterday which of them was speaking for the Labour party, but we’ll see. We believe it is in the economic interest of the UK to get a good deal.” |
| He added that “predictions of doom and gloom” since the referendum “have proved to be wrong” and claimed that there were 14 working groups with 21 countries under way for trade agreements to be ready to sign in a year. | He added that “predictions of doom and gloom” since the referendum “have proved to be wrong” and claimed that there were 14 working groups with 21 countries under way for trade agreements to be ready to sign in a year. |
| He said the UK hoped to have about 40 “rollover” trade arrangements from EU agreements when Britain leaves. “We hope that all of those ones will be ready because they are extensions of what we have at the moment,” he added. | He said the UK hoped to have about 40 “rollover” trade arrangements from EU agreements when Britain leaves. “We hope that all of those ones will be ready because they are extensions of what we have at the moment,” he added. |
| Fox also rejected a claim by the Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg that the UK would be a vassal state during the transition period. “I absolutely wouldn’t share those words and I would say that what we are doing is carrying out the will of the people to leave the European Union, which we shouldn’t question, we must accept, but we are doing it in a way that is providing the least risk to the United Kingdom,” he said. | Fox also rejected a claim by the Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg that the UK would be a vassal state during the transition period. “I absolutely wouldn’t share those words and I would say that what we are doing is carrying out the will of the people to leave the European Union, which we shouldn’t question, we must accept, but we are doing it in a way that is providing the least risk to the United Kingdom,” he said. |
| Fox also refused to rule out a transition period stretching beyond the end of 2020 but said it was “not likely to happen”. He added: “I wouldn’t like to see that, nor would I support an extension.” | Fox also refused to rule out a transition period stretching beyond the end of 2020 but said it was “not likely to happen”. He added: “I wouldn’t like to see that, nor would I support an extension.” |
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