Brexit trade deal: Vast new red tape for UK exporters is ‘a wonderful thing’, Boris Johnson says

The mountain of new red tape faced by British exporters is “a wonderful thing”, Boris Johnson says, as he defended his Brexit trade deal.

The prime minister also claimed to have achieved his much-ridiculed wish to “have his cake and eat it”, with an agreement that rescues tariff-free trade while allowing the UK to strike out on its own.

And he insisted carmakers have been handed the “certainty of continuing to sell into the rest of the EU” – although crucial rules-of-origin have not been decided permanently.

In an interview following the Commons passing the deal, Mr Johnson faced fierce criticism that he is not being “honest” with voters about the downsides of it, risking their anger later on.

But a defiant prime minister repeatedly refused to admit to new barriers to trade, even though businesses will have to fill in 200 million new customs forms from New Year’s Day.

Instead, he claimed: “They'll now have the advantage that they'll only have one set of forms they have to fill out for export to around the whole world.

“At the moment, people have to choose that are they going to think about the EU markets or are they thinking about a global market? Now it's a totally global approach –and I think it’s a wonderful thing.”

And, asked to admit he had just signed “the first free trade deal in the world that increases the barriers”, the prime minister replied: “No.”

In the interview with Laura Kuenssberg, political editor of BBC News, Mr Johnson also:

* Insisted the deal “secures all the key objectives” – despite previously saying it fell short on financial services.

* Denied it was bad for services, with professional qualifications not recognised in the EU – arguing “there are already immense barriers to UK services”.

* Asked what the UK could now do differently, pointed to a new immigration system – saying “we had no control over our borders”.

Mr Johnson was reminded there will be border checks on animals and plants, musicians touring the EU will need work permits and “paperwork if you want to take your dog on holiday”.

“There will be new barriers, because if you don’t admit that honestly now, aren’t people going to be really peeved when they find out?” Ms Kuenssberg said.

But the prime minister replied: “I think what people voted for was to have a giant free trade deal with the EU, which is what they have got.”

And he claimed to have achieved his aim of “having your cake and eating it”, boasting: “People said that that was impossible.

“What they said was you couldn't have free trade with the EU unless you conformed with the EU’s laws.

“I think you'd concede that has turned out not to be true, I think you concede. So, I want you to see this is a cakist treaty.”

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