Eurosceptics say a ‘hard Brexit’ could net trade deals worth double EU agreements
Change Britain wants us to ditch the EU single market and fly the flag for the UK by signing deals with countries all over the globe
HARD Brexit will mean big money for Britain with trade deals worth twice the amount of those signed by the European Union, according to leading Eurosceptics.
Change Britain, a group co-founded by Brexiteer Michael Gove and endorsed by his former campaign buddy Boris Johnson, says 14 countries have publicly expressed signing agreements with us after Brexit.
These countries include China, Brazil, India, Argentina and Australia.
The economies of the 14 nations total around £14trillion – twice as much as those countries which already have a trade deal with the EU.
But the organisation says the only way Britain can take advantage of the interest these countries have shown in working with us is by getting out of the single market.
Former head of the CBI, Lord Digby Jones, said doing this would allow Britain to export to “millions more customers”.
Lord Jones, who served as Gordon Brown’s trade minister, told : “By leaving the single market we are of course taking back control of our borders and our courts, but of vital importance we will take back control of trade policy.
“We can strike trade deals with the rising economies of the 21st century, many of whom have already signalled their intentions to begin negotiations.
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“This will allow British business to export to millions more customers and create thousands of new jobs throughout the UK.
“We should grasp this opportunity with both hands.”
The combined economy of countries with trade deals with the EU is just £7.2trilllion.
Change Britain said: “While the EU is in discussions with some major economies - including the United States - recent events have shown how the EU cannot be relied upon to agree to a free trade deal due to the shortcomings in its decision-making process.
“The need for every member state - and in some instances regional sub-parliaments - to approve a free trade deal makes for an unstable process.
“Even if the EU institutions agree to a trade deal, one small region has an effective veto over a free trade agreement.”
Many of the interested countries do not have trade deals with the EU – which is reportedly not a great trade negotiator, partly because of the amount of countries involved which have to agree on a deal.
This is evident in the trade deal which the EU finally signed with Canada earlier today – after seven years in the making.
The deal almost collapsed when the little-known Belgian region of Wallonia vetoed the move before agreeing to endorse it yesterday morning after several rounds of talks.