“It’s kind of like having an abusive partner spiking the drinks and inviting them to the Christmas party.”
With Britain’s MPs being heavily tipped to reject Theresa May’s Brexit deal next week, the alternative option of Norway-plus, the softest form of Brexit, has also been delivered a blow.
Essentially, the Norway-plus system would require the UK to seek to apply to join the European Free Trade Area grouping, consisting of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
The scheme would require the UK to also remain in the EU customs union indefinitely, or at least until a solution to the border in Ireland could be found.
Senior Norwegian politicians have since rejected the idea of Britain being included in this Norway-plus model.
Various senior figures in the Norwegian government said that this was “neither in Norway nor the UK’s interest.”
One of the most outspoken people on this issue was Heidi Nordby Lunde, president of Norway’s European Movement, and she said that : “I’m sceptic to letting the UK into the EFTA family because it’s kind of like having an abusive partner spiking the drinks and inviting them to the Christmas party.”
When asked if she felt that the potential of Britain joining EFTA would upset the political balance that exists in that group, she added: “I think you would mess it all up for us, the way you have messed it up for yourselves.”
Lunde adds: “The Norway deal that you talk about has four issues that I don’t think the UK politicians want. First of all, we accept migration internally in the EU, we also accept rulings by the European Court of Justice, we accept the rules and regulations that we get from the EU. Also being in the EFTA bloc that has the deal with the deal with the EU on our behalf, we cant make our own free trade agreements without having Liechtenstein, Iceland with us.”
Take a look at the whole interview below.
"I think you would mess it all up for us, the way you have messed it all up for yourselves."
Heidi Nordby Lunde, president of Norway's European Movement, is sceptical about calls for the UK to strike a Norway-style deal with the EU. pic.twitter.com/uEpiO3yXPp
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) December 7, 2018
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