A senior Tory has called for the Conservatives and Labour Parties to admit that Brexit has failed and to reconsider the UK’s relationship with the European Union’s single market.
Chairman of the Defence Select Committee Tobias Ellwood claimed that many MPs privately agree there is a case for the UK to negotiate a Norway-style relationship with the bloc.
He told the i: “Nobody dares mention Brexit on the Labour or Conservative side or look at the numbers to see whether economically it would be wiser for us to be in or outside of the single market.
“Surely we should have that strength of character, the courage to look at the biggest generational decision which is now clearly not gone in the right direction. I didn’t know anybody who voted Remain or Brexit, who expected us to be where we are today, but we dare not go there.”
The Bournemouth East MP and Brexit critic added that leaving the single market has resulted in economic damage and left the UK isolated.
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The UK left the EU single market, which allowed unrestricted movement of goods, services, capital and people, in December 2020 as part of the Brexit transition period.
A Norway-style arrangement would see the UK have full access to the single market and have limited trade barriers with the EU. Yet in return, for this, Norway makes substantial contributions to the EU budget and is subject to most laws of the bloc, but as the nation is not a member it has no formal say in their creation.
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