We don't know where Prime Minister's Brexit transition bridge leads
A transition bridge needs something to bridge to - and in the PM's mind that's something "creative", writes Sky's Faisal Islam.
Saturday 23 September 2017 06:43, UK
The tone of the Prime Minister's speech was different to Lancaster House - even as she communicated that nothing had changed.
This was a PM not just warm to Europe, but warm to the EU as it embarks on a journey that isn't quite for the United Kingdom.
On the key issue of transition, as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson calls it, or "implementation", as Theresa May says, we have some clarity.
"The framework would be the existing structure of EU rules and regulations," she said.
That presumably means the European Court of Justice jurisdiction and a form of freedom of movement lasting a period of "around two years ... as of today".
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That is considerably more flexibility for the length of a transition on essentially extended single market terms than would have been thought a few months ago, or a few days ago by the Foreign Secretary.
Would that mean a delay to the repeal of the European Communities Act's role as a legal conduit, even as we leave the EU? Will the European Free Trade Association Court get involved? Would we temporarily join the European Economic Area?
But a transition bridge needs something to bridge to.
In the PM's mind that place is something "creative" that is neither close to the Canada model favoured by Boris Johnson, nor the near Norway model of the Chancellor Philip Hammond.
This was a fudge, but it sounded like she was not equidistant between the two. Of the Canada trade model she said "we can do so much better than this".
Where does her new bridge lead?