WATCH: Ministers urge Jersey to join Brexit deal

Thursday 24 December 2020

Jersey’s States Assembly will be asked to approve the last-minute Brexit deal reached by the UK and EU, on Sunday 27 December, the External Relations Minister has confirmed.

Senator Ian Gorst said he is recommending that backs the agreement, a decision he said will be of "great significance" for the island.

The announcement comes just a few hours after the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the UK and EU had reached an agreement on their future relationship.

Speaking this afternoon the Prime Minister described the deal as "a Canada-style deal" worth £600billion a year. He said it would protect jobs and allow UK goods to be sold without tariffs or quotas in the EU market. He went as far as suggesting the deal would allow UK companies to secure even more business.

Mr Johnson went on say the deal achieved something "the people of this country instinctively knew was doable but which they were told was impossible".

Video: Senator Ian Gorst announced the decision to support the UK deal on Christmas Eve.

In a statement made on Christmas Eve, the External Relations Minister said participating in the deal would "further strengthen and stabilise our historical relationship with the United Kingdom – which has existed for over 800 years – and illustrate a commitment to a future based on collaborative and constructive working".

In addition, he said it would maintain "as closely as possible" the conditions of the current EU trading relationship. "It will ensure that our goods, destined for the EU, are treated fairly, without tariffs and equal to those goods originating from the UK. And it will provide clarity for our Fisheries industry."

"Participating in this agreement ensures that our interests and objectives are heard, understood and respected by our two most important international partners," he added.

"It ensures we can obtain the benefits of any future arrangements, both between the UK and the EU but also as the UK seeks new agreements with countries around the world."

Senator Gorst said Guernsey would be following suit, both islands having agreed that it was in their "best interests" and that of their communities.

"In recent years we have strengthened our working relationships, and improved the cooperation between both of our jurisdictions," the External Relations Minister said.

"We again find ourselves in a shared position.  In the coming weeks, months and years we will confront shared challenges and seize shared opportunities.

"There is now an even greater opportunity for inter-Island collaboration, which will strengthen our Channel Islands interest as we continue working cooperatively with the UK, the European Union and internationally."

Pictured: The Assembly will be asked to vote on the deal on Sunday.

Senator Gorst will be asking the Assembly to consider the deal, and whether to agree to it, on Sunday 27 December.

"The decision of the Assembly will be of great significance in our Island’s history," he said. "I am confident that whatever the decision, Jersey will continue to grow and thrive. 

"We have worked passionately and with determination since 2016. And I would like to commend the professionalism and dedication of our civil servants in preparing the Island for the outcome that we have reached today. 

"We will continue to ensure that the best interests of our Island, our people, and our future are at heart of our work as we move into 2021 and beyond."