Are Brexiteers right to say UK can soften no-deal Brexit?
Politics Explained: Claims that Britain could choose to have no tariffs with the EU for up to a decade are not all that they seem
Article 24 is part of the rule book of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the forerunner of today’s World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is a cornerstone of international trading arrangements.
Some Brexiteers say that it allows for existing UK-EU trading relationships – no tariffs – to be extended for up to 10 years in the event of a no-deal Brexit. But this is only partially correct.
Legally, such an arrangement cannot be simply demanded or claimed by the UK as of right. The other party involved – the European Union which acts as one entity for such purposes – would have to agree to such an arrangement.
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