Responding to the Institute of Directors report ‘Bridging the Brexit Gap: Options for Transition’, John Longworth, Co-Chair of Leave Means Leave said:
“The Institute of Directors adopted a pro-EU position throughout the referendum campaign and this report is evidence that the organisation is part of continuity Remain.
“The transition options proposed are an insult to our intelligence and would constitute a fraud on the electorate.
“The suggestion that the Article 50 deadline should be extended is delusional. If a trade deal cannot be agreed by end of Q1 next year, Britain should walk away from negotiations and focus solely on administrative details to prepare for exit in March 2019. All that an extension of the negotiation period would do is prolong uncertainty for British business.
“The EEA was designed to get countries into the EU – not out of it. It would be disastrous for Britain to be a member of this – forcing us to sign up to thousands more EU laws without representation in the EU institutions. Even the CBI acknowledged that EEA membership would be wrong.
“The idea that Britain maintains the Common External Tariff would mean that Britain would be unable to negotiate free trade deals with the rest of the world. The economic benefits of Brexit would be void.
“Similarly, the notion that Britain continues to be dictated to by the ECJ is a complete rejection of the Brexit vote the British people voted for only last year.
“This is a report advocating remaining in the EU and is a direct attack on democracy.”