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Although there was wide range of views on post-Brexit UK trade among speakers at the Oxford Farming Conference on Friday, the consensus was that the EU will remain the UK’s most important trading partner.
Providing the most liberal trading view was former New Zealand trade and agriculture minister Sir Lockwood Smith. He was critical of UK prime minister Theresa May’s draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and told delegates that there was no point in the UK leaving the EU if it means being tied to EU customs, which would prevent the UK striking its own trade deals with other countries.
“It gives the EU upper hand in future [trade] negotiations because it could, if they choose, lock you into the backstop indefinitely and lock you into the customs union and effectively Brussels’ regulatory system,” he said during a press conference.
“I don’t support a no deal at all because, as Michael Gove pointed out yesterday, the turbulence for agriculture is significant. I would just like to see two or three issues fixed up which are making this current deal unworkable for Britain,” Smith added.
Rushed deals
The former New Zealand politician and diplomat also warned the UK against striking rushed trade deals after Brexit.
“If you do quick, nasty free-trade agreements, you will regret them for 15 to 20 years,” he said.
Lending support to the current draft withdrawal deal was Conservative MP and Defra farming minister George Eustice.
“It provides for an implementation period and gives a period of continuity during which we can put in place the all-important future partnership. It’s not perfect at all, but it does give us that short-term continuity,” he said.
Wishful thinking
The chair of Barclays Bank UK, Sir Ian Cheshire, gave a business view and said that some clarity was needed on the backstop but added that if that was given then the current deal makes sense for the UK.
“The backstop is intended as temporary and everyone thinks it's temporary, so it’s not the desired end state. This idea that somehow there is this infinitely better deal somewhere hidden in the corridors of Brussels is wishful thinking.”
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas described the deal as the “worst of all worlds” for farming and all sectors in the UK. “I think it should be voted down so that we can move on talk about how we do move forward,” she said.
Lucas added that she supports a people's vote on the final Brexit withdrawal deal with the option of the UK remaining in the EU being on the ballot.
More coverage from the Oxford Farming Coverage is available here and will feature in next week’s NI and Scottish print editions.
SHARING OPTIONS: