Lord Monks (Lab):...I agree with noble Lords who said they wished
we were trying to lead Europe rather than leave it, not least
because trade is inversely proportionate to the geographical
distance between the countries concerned, as the noble Lord, Lord
Kerr, explained. We also need to bear in mind that many of the
countries earmarked by the Government as friendly targets for
future trade deals are right on the other side of the world—as far
away as you can get in some cases. At the...Request free trial
(Lab):...I agree
with noble Lords who said they wished we were trying to lead Europe
rather than leave it, not least because trade is inversely
proportionate to the geographical distance between the countries
concerned, as the noble Lord, Lord Kerr, explained. We also need to
bear in mind that many of the countries earmarked by the Government
as friendly targets for future trade deals are right on the other
side of the world—as far away as you can get in some cases. At the
moment, Australia accounts for 1.7% of our exports, India the same and New Zealand 0.2%. Even
those countries, with their close historic and cultural ties with
this country, will be very tough on trade talks, as they were a few
weeks ago on agriculture in the case of Australia and New Zealand.
Can the Minister tell us whether the Anglosphere countries, such as
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, are prepared
to open their markets to British beef exports soon? When will they
lift the bans that were imposed as a result of the BSE crisis? The
EU did it years ago, in 2006. The European Court of Justice made it
do it. One or two countries, such as France, did not want to, but
the ECJ made them. That is also something that will be lost as we
go down the current route that the Government are setting. It is
part of the wishful thinking that there will be friendly countries
out there anxious for deals generous to us. The true picture is
more like an episode of the BBC’s “Blue Planet”: a frightening
ocean full of all kinds of predators seeking to burst out from the
depths to circle and pick up some of the choicest parts. Some of
our choicest parts, such as pharmaceuticals and financial services,
are already being eyed up greedily by other countries to pick them
off if they possibly can...
(Lab):...Second in
line is India, or it might be, anyway.
Would India come near the top of the list?
I suppose that it would. Do the Government really believe that
Britain has some kind of special relationship
with India? If so, can they explain to me why
the Germans export three times as much to India as we do? I am very sceptical
about a trade agreement with India. I know from my Brussels experience
what India’s offensive interests are in terms
of trade negotiations with Europe. There is one simple answer—lots
of visas for Indian workers to come and work here. How
does that square with the Government’s commitment to take back
control of our borders and cut immigration? Where is the
consistency in the Government’s policy? How does this square with
Mrs May’s refusal to abandon the target of cutting immigration to
100,000 a year? I do not see why anyone in India should take seriously a British
negotiator who turns up on their doorstep unless the negotiator can
state clearly what the Government’s policy is. I bet that we will
not hear what it is, as I do not think that the Government know
what it is because it is contradictory and all over the
place...
(CB):...The White Paper before us is very pretty. I
have never seen Dr Fox with such a big smile on his face. There is
a little picture at the front of Britain with laser beams going out
from it. I thought that it was a butterfly at first and then I
realised that it was the UK at the centre of the world, as the
noble Lord, , said, just like that old
Mercator projection that used to hang in our geography classroom at
school, which depicted Britain at the centre of the world with all
the pink bits round it. Ours still had India in pink, in the early 1950s, I
am afraid, as we had an old map. That reminded me that this image
harks back to when we ruled 25% of the world. Britain got rich
plundering that empire, and I find it quite frightening that
pro-Brexit groups should be so deluded as to think that we could so
easily remake links that were—in the face of our history—difficult
to maintain when we had them, and refashion others that we so
casually abandoned when we joined the EU. This trade policy White
Paper is, of course, largely aspirational since we have no idea at
all what kind of deal is likely to be achieved with the EU: it is
riddled with “don’t knows” and uncertainties. As we heard, in
another two years at the end of the negotiations, we will probably
be on another cliff...
(Con):...All
of that makes a comprehensive FTA with the EU the most economically
literate outcome. Our first step must therefore be to try to
maintain what we already have. To ensure that there is no cliff
edge and to make things as straightforward as possible for
business, the Government plan to set out our independent schedules
at the World Trade Organization which will replicate, as closely as
possible, our current EU schedules. This will provide continuity
for businesses that trade with countries not currently covered by
bilateral agreements, such as the USA, China, India and others...
(Lab):...Will
the Minister also clarify the Government’s plans for EU trade
agreements that remain in negotiation, such as with the USA,
Japan, India and Thailand? The fact that the
EU has struggled to reach agreement with some of these countries
should of course act as a reminder of the challenge that awaits the
UK post Brexit and the importance of putting the right trade policy
framework in place early on...
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