New: civil and diplomatic service grandees, including Ivan Rogers, Philip Rycroft and Gus O'Donnell, call for an extension of the Brexit transition in light of Covid-19

"It is simple common sense" says Rycroft, former head of the Brexit department https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/civil-service-whitehall-brexit-transition-extension-covid-19-coronavirus

Rogers says “HMG is in reality forcing firms which are facing an existential crisis over Covid-19... to prepare simultaneously for a no-deal exit at year end.”

This “carries risks of seriously exacerbating a very difficult economic position at that point, and of disrupting supply chains across the channel at a time they may be critical for the UK.”

Medical supplies come to mind

O'Donnell agrees extension is sensible, telling me

“More time could lead to a better outcome for both sides.”

“Clearly there has been much less time for negotiation than could ever have been anticipated.”

Bob Kerslake meanwhile, former head of the civil service, says

“The timetable for delivering a trade deal was already extremely ambitious. The lost time as a consequence of Covid-19 has moved this from being ambitious to almost impossible"

Kerslake added "In the circumstances, the public would accept a delay and I am genuinely puzzled why the government hasn’t moved to confirm this"

In my own view, an extension is obviously the right idea. The public will understand! And I'm still hopeful that the government will change its policy before the deadline

More here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/civil-service-whitehall-brexit-transition-extension-covid-19-coronavirus

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