LONDON: Britain is drawing up contingency plans in case its Brexit negotiations with the EU fail, a minister said Sunday as speculation mounted that the withdrawal process could start this week.
Brexit Minister David Davis said it was in “everybody’s interests that we get a good outcome,” but said the government was “planning for the contingency, all the various outcomes.”
He was speaking after MPs warned that ministers must prepare for the possibility that, with EU treaties allowing just two years to agree a new relationship, Britain might well leave without a deal.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is optimistic about settling the divorce and a new trade agreement with the EU within the timeframe, but would walk away rather than accept a bad deal.
The cross-party parliamentary foreign affairs committee said this “represents a very destructive outcome leading to mutually assured damage for the EU and the UK,” citing economic losses and legal confusion.
Davis told the BBC he did not think that was “remotely likely,” adding: “There will be tough points in this negotiation. But it’s in absolutely everybody’s interests that we get a good outcome.”
The MPs noted that the previous government had not prepared for the shock vote to leave the EU in the June referendum, something they called “gross negligence.”
“Making an equivalent mistake would constitute a serious dereliction of duty by the present administration,” they said in the report.
A bill empowering May to trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty and begin the withdrawal process returns to the House of Commons on Monday for debate.
Without further opposition, it could pass the House of Lords that night. After it is rubber-stamped by Queen Elizabeth II, May could start Brexit at any point.
Asked when the process might start, Davis noted that “in theory it is the point at which you have royal assent,” but refused to confirm a date.
“Each date has different implications in terms of when it can be responded to by the Council (of EU leaders),” he said.
One factor could be the Dutch elections on Wednesday. Keir Starmer, the Brexit spokesman for the opposition Labour party, repeated to Sky News that he expected the government to start Brexit “probably on Wednesday or Thursday.”
Britain plans for all options as Brexit nears: Minister
Britain plans for all options as Brexit nears: Minister
Boeing has 400 defense partners in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH: Boeing Saudi Arabia President Asaad Al-Jomai said the company has more than 400 defense partners in Saudi Arabia and works closely with local manufacturers such as Saudi Arabian Military Industries, or SAMI, which is leading the Kingdom’s defense localization mission.
He added: “The partnership is also active through academic and technical cooperation as Boeing is a founding partner of Al-Faisal University and has partnerships with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.”
Localization of industry is a key objective for companies operating in Saudi Arabia, Al-Jomai said, adding that partnerships with firms such as SAMI support the Kingdom’s goal of localizing more than 50 percent of military spending by 2030. Boeing considers itself a central partner in localization and technology transfer.
According to Al-Jomai, Boeing’s relationship with Saudi Arabia spans more than 81 years. The company currently employs more than 90 people at its Saudi headquarters and has delivered more than 170 commercial aircraft in recent years.
Defense contracts dominate operations
Boeing’s existing contracts include maintenance and technical support for advanced defense systems, most notably F-15 fighter jets, with Saudi Arabia the largest operator of the aircraft outside the US.
He added that these contracts also cover Apache attack helicopters and AH-6i aircraft, known as the “Little Bird.”
Al-Jomai said that although support agreements cover both commercial and defense sectors, defense operations currently dominate in Saudi Arabia due to the expansion in military spending. He added that long global delivery cycles for commercial aircraft have shifted technical support efforts toward servicing defense fleets already operating in the Kingdom.
According to Boeing’s website, Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s relationship with the Royal Saudi Air Force began in 1978 when Saudi Arabia selected its first fleet of F-15C/D aircraft, forming the backbone of the Kingdom’s air defense.
The fleet expanded significantly in December 2011 when Saudi Arabia and the US signed a military sales agreement — the largest in US history at the time — covering F-15SA fighter jets, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and AH-6 light armed reconnaissance helicopters.
