Devil in the Detail
Populism met realism this week after Boris Johnson endured the most testing interview of his leadership campaign.
Challenged by Andrew Neil to give more details on his oft-quoted WTO Article 24 he wriggled and squirmed before delivering a lecture on the BBC’s ‘negativity’.
Johnson wants to use a rule known as ‘GATT 24’ to maintain trade with the EU if we leave without agreement on October 31.
In an unashamed boast, he claimed he’d secure a “standstill” trade arrangement using Paragraph 5(b) of Article 24 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
But Paragraph 5(c) – which comes straight afterwards – makes it clear the policy can’t be used for a No Deal Brexit .
That’s because it says a “plan and schedule” must already be in place to form a customs union or free trade area, “within a reasonable length of time.”
Here is how their exchange unfolded:
AN: So how would you handle – you talk about Article 5B in GATT 24 –
BJ: Paragraph 5B. Article 24. Get the detail right. Get the detail right, Andrew. It’s Article 24 paragraph 5B.
AN: And how would you handle paragraph 5C?
BJ: I would confide entirely in paragraph 5B, because that is –
AN: How would you get round what’s in 5C?
BJ: I would confide entirely in paragraph 5B which is enough for our purposes.
AN: Do you know what’s in 5C?
BJ: No.
