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During a leadership debate last night, the MP for Surbiton declared he would once again push to take the UK back into the EU if the opportunity arose. Despite the UK being scheduled to complete Brexit at the end of the year, the MP claimed the Britain’s best interests remain at the heart of the trade bloc. He said: “I’ll always believe our best place is in the EU, but our job now is to convince the country of that. If the opportunity ever arises for us to rejoin, and we can take the public with us, I’ll be at the frontline of that fight.”
His comments were also supported by fellow leadership hopeful and MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, Layla Moran.
During their question and answer session with Politico, Ms Moran also declared she would love to rejoin the EU.
She said: “I would love to rejoin the EU, and I believe we will in years to come, but we must make the positive case to the public and win the hearts and minds of voters first.
“In the short term, my priority is to work cross-party to prevent a devastating no-deal Brexit at the end of the year.”
Brexit talks concluded last week with both sides stating several areas of divergence still remain.
While trade talks between the EU and UK continue to stall, a separate agreement with Japan received a major boost this week.
Following the first round of trade negotiations, officials stated a deal could be completed as early as September.
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9.33am update: CBI warns over no deal Brexit
The Confederation of British Industry has warned UK businesses are now less prepared than they were in January.
Due to the coronaviurs pandemic, one in five businesses have admitted their concern over no deal planning.
Director general, Carolyn Fairburn said: “What’s clear from this wide-ranging survey is that the majority of firms have neither the time nor resources to prepare for a non-negotiated EU exit.
“While many larger firms have long had plans in place for a no-deal outcome, smaller firms will struggle to cope with a double dose of disruption. Businesses on both sides are desperate for a deal that protects their economies at this most precarious of times.”
8.42am update: China relations may hinder Brexit
Due to the worsening tensions with China, the ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming has claimed future trade ties post-Brexit may now well be impacted.
Amid the offer of British citizenship and the exlucion of Huawei from the 5G network, he warned decoupling from China may well hurt the UK post-Brexit.
He said: “When Brexit is completed and Covid-19 is over, there will be unlimited prospects for UK-China co-operation in areas of trade, financial services, science and technology, education and healthcare.
“It is hard to imagine a global Britain that bypasses or excludes China.
“Decoupling from China means decoupling from opportunities, decoupling from growth and decoupling from the future.”
8.07am update: Japan trade deal could be done by next month
Japan and UK officials concluded the first round of talks this week in the hope of an agreement being secured by September.
However, the Japanese embassy has stated an agreement could be concluded as early as next month.
Given the time needed for it to be ratified in the Japanese parliament, an official stated August is “still possible”.
An official told Morning Trade UK: “Considering the time needed for the legal details and the Diet ratification, early August is also possible.”
7.37am update: Lib Dems reveal latest plot
During their question and answer session with Politicio, Lib Dem leadership candidates, Layla Moran and Sir Ed Davey once again stated their intent to take the UK back into the EU.
Although the Brexit referendum occurred four years ago, Sir Ed once again insisted he would be at the frontline of any fight to rejoin the bloc.
Sir Ed said: “I’ll always believe our best place is in the EU, but our job now is to convince the country of that.
“If the opportunity ever arises for us to rejoin, and we can take the public with us, I’ll be at the frontline of that fight.”
Ms Moran added: “I would love to rejoin the EU, and I believe we will in years to come, but we must make the positive case to the public and win the hearts and minds of voters first.
“In the short term, my priority is to work cross-party to prevent a devastating no-deal Brexit at the end of the year.”
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