'Greater friction' and 'difficulties' over trade since Brexit, says health secretary

Steve Barclay has admitted that since Brexit there have been “difficulties” with “greater friction” over trade. Credit: PA

There has been “greater friction” and “difficulties” over trade since Brexit, Health Secretary Steve Barclay has admitted, as he denied a report that the government is considering adopting a Swiss-style relationship with the EU.

Asked on Sky News whether Brexit had had an adverse impact on UK trade, he said: “What I’m saying is you’ve got to look at the issues in terms of Brexit in the round.

“There are areas where there have been difficulties in terms of greater friction and we’re looking to work constructively with EU partners on that.

“But, equally, there are very significant opportunities as a result of Brexit.

“I don’t think we would have done the vaccine rollout in the way that we did had we remained a member of the EU and the significant regulatory opportunities we have, and the autumn statement signalled our determination to take those.”

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The former Brexit secretary's comments come after the Sunday Times reported the government was eyeing up a closer relationship with the EU that avoids the current barriers to trade.

Downing Street sources rejected the report but the Times suggested that behind closed doors some in government have indicated that the pursuit of a frictionless trading relationship with the bloc requires moving to a Swiss-style arrangement over the next 10 years.

According to the paper, this would not extend to a return to freedom of movement.

Switzerland and the EU have a close economic relationship based on a series of bilateral agreements, giving the country direct access to parts of the EU’s internal market including the free movement of people.

A Swiss-style veterinary agreement has been one of the options mooted by some on the EU side as a solution to the protocol dispute, while in the years after the Brexit vote a deal inspired by the Swiss-EU relationship was seen as one among many options for the UK after it voted to leave the bloc.

Labour said the party did not want the UK to rejoin the European Union's single market and would not seek a Swiss-style relationship with the EU.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme on Sky News, that the party would want to negotiate a "bespoke deal" between the UK and EU.

"But we're not proposing that we just simply adopt the Swiss proposal, which the government now are apparently looking at.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay. Credit: PA

"Of course, we need to fix this deal. Of course, we need to make Brexit work, because this oven-ready deal that we were promised, this great deal, has not worked out in the way in which Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson told the British people that it would do."

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt this week admitted that Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal caused damaging trade barriers with the European Union, as he said immigration will be “very important” for the economy.

Mr Hunt also insisted the UK would find a way to improve trading ties with the EU without rejoining the single market.

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