Major Shift In UK Stance On Brexit Unlikely Despite Sunday Times Story

ASunday Times story published on 20 November has garnered significant attention speculating that the gov't could seek a 'Swiss style' agreement with the EU in order to improve economic ties with Brussels. However, this has led to a notable backlash within the strongly pro-Brexit parliamentary Conservative Party. The prospect of any Swiss-style agreement (which would see multiple bilateral deals between the UK and EU) being agreed to in the short-to-medium term appears to be a non-starter.

• Gov't ministers have been keen to swiftly reject the speculation. In a speech earlier today to the CBI Conference, PM Rishi Sunak stated that his gov't would not pursue any agreement with the EU "that relies on alignment with EU laws".
• The parliamentary Conservative party is, since the 2019 election, formed overwhelmingly by MPs of a pro-Brexit nature. Any attempts by the gov't to bring the UK into the Single Market, even if it did not lead to freedom of movement, would risk a major backlash against the incumbent of 10 Downing Street.
• For its part, the EU is unlikely to be keen on a 'Swiss style' agreement. While the current Trade and Cooperation Agreement is not as close a relationship with the UK as Brussels would probably like, it is relatively simple in its scope and implementation (setting aside the issues surrounding the Northern Ireland protocol). The EU's relations with Switzerland, however, are extremely complex, relying on thousands of separate bilateral agreements that needed to be negotiated individually. Brussels is unlikely to want a similar set-up in place for relations with London.