This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The influential Commons Brexit committee has urged the government to consider negotiating continued membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) or joining the European Free Trade Association (Efta) after the UK leaves the European Union.



The Brexit secretary, David Davis, has previously ruled out both options, calling them “the worst of all outcomes”.

However, the cross-party committee, in its report on the future UK-EU relationship, recommended that if negotiations on a “deep and special partnership” proved unsuccessful, EEA/Efta membership should remain an alternative.

The recommendation caused a split in the committee, with prominent Tory Brexiters led by Jacob Rees-Mogg voting against its inclusion.

The committee’s Brexiters also voted against the report in its entirety, but were defeated 10-6.

In addition to the recommendation, the committee also set 15 “key tests” for the government’s final deal with the EU.

The guidelines included the Northern Ireland border issue and the free flow of data between the UK and EU after Brexit.

The Labour chairman of the committee, Hilary Benn, said the tests were based on previous pledges by the prime minister and the Brexit secretary.

He said: “Our tests set a high bar but they are based on the prime minister’s vision for our future outside the EU and the statement by the secretary of state for exiting the European Union, David Davis MP, that any new deal would be at least as good as what we have now.

“It is vital that UK businesses are able to continue to trade freely and sell services into our largest market after we leave, without additional costs or burdens or a hard border in Northern Ireland and that we maintain close cooperation on defence, security, data and information sharing and consumer safety.”

Benn added: “Should negotiations on a ‘deep and special partnership’ not prove successful, we consider that Efta/EEA membership remains an alternative which would have the advantage of continuity of access for UK services and could also be negotiated relatively quickly.”

The committee’s tests included keeping an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, cooperation on crime and terrorism and tariff-free trade between the UK and EU.

The report also calls on the government to maintain convergence with EU regulations “to maximise access to European markets” and advises that any new immigration arrangements “must not act as an impediment to the movement of workers providing services across borders”.

Rees-Mogg said: “The ExEU select committee report is another effort by remainers to reverse the result. The high priests of remain on the select committee voted to thwart Brexit by stealth.

“This serves no useful purpose as select committees’ reports are only influential if they are unanimous, dividing on leave/remain lines simply refights the referendum.”

A spokesman for the Department for Exiting the European Union said: “As the prime minister said at Mansion House, the UK government is seeking the broadest and deepest possible partnership with the EU, covering more sectors and cooperating more fully than any free trade agreement anywhere in the world today.

“When we leave the EU we will leave the single market and customs union so that we take back control of our money, laws and borders.

“To do otherwise will see us forever implementing, in their entirety, new EU legislation over which we will have had no say, and leave us with less control over our trade policy than we have now.”