The government will refuse any European Union request to extend the Brexit transition period because being bound to EU legislation for longer would make it harder to manage the coronavirus pandemic, No 10 has said.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman told journalist that an extension would “keep us bound by EU legislation at a point when we need legislative and economic flexibility to manage the UK response to the coronavirus pandemic”.
“We will not ask to extend the transition. And, if the EU asks, we will say no,” he said. An extension would “prolong the negotiations, prolong business uncertainty, and delay the moment of control of our borders”.
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