David Davis tells Brussels where to go as UK begins trade negotiations with non-EU countries
The newly appointed Brexit Minister hopes negotiations will create a trade area 'ten times the size of the EU'
DEFIANT Brexit Secretary David Davis last night vowed to ignore EU rules on making trade deals, saying: “What are they going to do, throw us out?”
Britain has already started talks with at least 12 major nations in preparation for an economic future outside the EU.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has begun a frantic round of globetrotting, which will take him to America this week.
In a tone echoing The Sun’s famous Up Yours Delors front page of 1990, Mr Davis said the aim was to create a “very, very large” trade area “ten times the size” of the EU.
It came as the Tory veteran also vowed to “control the borders” as he plans our departure from Brussels.
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Setting out the UK’s aims, the former SAS reservist said he wants tariff-free access to the single market — a major boost for British firms.
He suggested any EU nationals who “surge” to the UK before Brexit in search of full rights to live and work here could be kicked out.
And he hit back at suggestions from Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that she has a “veto” over Brexit after Scots voted to remain in the UK.
Mr Davis told Sky News: “They can’t have a veto because there are 17.5million people who have given us a mandate. They have told us what to do — we can’t disobey it.”
Mr Davis, appointed to the Cabinet by new PM Theresa May last week, said he plans to trigger the EU’s Article 50 “early next year”.
That will kick-start two years of formal departure talks, with a full exit from the EU expected in 2019.
He claimed that would force Brussels’ leaders to “make sure free trade works” as they depend “more on us than we do on them”.
Australia, India, China, Japan and Canada are among the nations pushing for agreements with Britain.
Meanwhile, Mrs May will travel to Wales today to discuss leaving the EU and saving the steel industry with First Minister Carwyn Jones.
Former PM David Cameron’s kids Nancy, 12, Elwen, ten, and Florence, five, left a “welcome” note on Mrs May's desk at No10.
