LONDON - A bespoke Brexit trade deal between Britain and the European Union will take more than two years to reach, politicians at Westminster said Tuesday.
Two committees of the House of Lords, covering EU external affairs and EU internal affairs published a detailed report on a range of potential Brexit trade agreements.
Once Britain formally sets the exit process in motion by triggering Article 50, it kick-starts a maximum two-year "divorce" process. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said last week he wants Britain's exit to be completed within 18 months of triggering article 50.
Baroness Verma, who chairs the EU external affairs committee, said in Tuesday's report: "It is unlikely that a bespoke EU trade agreement can be agreed within Article 50's two-year period, so a transitional deal is vital for protecting British trade, and jobs that rely on trade."
"The government should focus on trade with the EU and its World Trade Organization (WTO) schedules. Deals with non-EU countries are contingent on the outcome of these negotiations, and need to be sequenced accordingly," she added.
"The complexity of the issues and the tight timetable require a significant scale-up in capacity in government departments and clear leadership across Whitehall," Verma stated. (Xinhua)