I'm sure they could negotiate a FTA, but it's not the same as being in the single market, as you noted yourself. Besides, it would take far longer than the two years allocated for the exit negotiations.
You just made his point for him. A FTA is nothing like the single market with zero trade barriers. Don't know how you can even defend this government's approach to be honest.
They're not the same, but the main manner in which they differ is that they only apply to certain things - which is basically what the four freedoms is all about. Capital, goods, services and people. FTA typically only relate to goods and sometimes also services but within that section it's not that different to being within the single market. Outside of that - people, capital - it's very different. This is why I say the idea that the four freedoms are some unshakeable concept is a bit daft, because clearly you
can have one without the other.
Re: negotiation time, it sure would take longer than 2 years. That said, one would imagine that sans any artificial barriers, it shouldn't take as long as those other countries for one fairly obvious reason. The same argument was kicked around when people were talking about a potentially independent Scotland negotiating entry into the EU, namely that we wouldn't have to find a compromise about food standards or any other regulations relating to trade owing to the fact that, as a member of the EU now, we
already abide by them all. The same argument is deployed in favour of the UK's receipt of financial passporting, namely that we already conduct our financial services under their guidelines because right now they're our guidelines too.
And Phalanx, who's defending our government's approach? All I'm saying is that people point to the four freedoms as though it's a physical fact like the speed of light, when in reality it's no more or less negotiable than anything else. Obviously the EU needs to publicly say that it's all jolly important and you can't
possibly allow a country to sell cars with zero tariff if they aren't also going to open their borders, but surely we all know it's bollocks, no?