International Trade Secretary Liam Fox says remaining inside the tariff-free EU trade zone "would limit our ability to reach new trade agreements with the world's fastest-growing economies."
But Fox was contradicted today by the trade department's former top civil servant. Martin Donnelly says quitting the customs union is like "giving up a three-course meal ... for the promise of a packet of crisps in the future."
The issue is a major fault line in U.K. Brexit plans. Opposition lawmakers are trying to ally with pro-EU Conservatives to win a vote in Parliament backing continued customs union membership.
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