UK ambassador: Brexit trade deal could take up to 10 years

Britain's ambassador to the EU privately told the government that the post-Brexit UK-EU trade deal might take a decade to finalize. Sir Ivan Rogers warned ministers in October that the EU trade deal may not be enacted until the early to mid-2020s, according to the BBC. He also reportedly said European leaders believe the deal is likely to be a free trade arrangement rather than a single market membership. A No 10 spokesman noted the government was not familiar with the remarks and said it could broker a Brexit deal.