Amandeep Singh Bhogal: May must forge ahead with a new British-Indian partnership
Our two countries have a huge amount to offer each other across a broad range of sectors, and we shouldn’t wait for Brexit to get started.
Our two countries have a huge amount to offer each other across a broad range of sectors, and we shouldn’t wait for Brexit to get started.
Unintentionally, the socialists of this Belgian region have done us a favour by making the free trade championing UK look an increasingly attractive partner.
Plus: John Rees-Evans’s bizarrre views. May’s flourishing line in jokes. Trump’s chances of winning. And: let Article 50 be put to a vote in Parliament and let’s get on with it.
The problems that change throwns up for the two countries are formidable but not insoluble.
The Canadian dispute came about due to a very specific set of circumstances. We will be more fortunate.
‘Our objective’, the Secretary of State says, ‘would be to ensure that we have continued access to the markets in Europe — and vice versa — without tariffs’
The very threat of reaching out in this way may make our neighbours reconsider any idea of punishing us.
It is in our interests to maintain substantial portions of today’s barrier-free trade with the EU.
The Saudis are one of this country’s largest arms export customers, but there are plenty of others who would step into the breach if we stopped selling.
Even after Brexit it is in the interests of the UK for the remaining member states to prosper.
These are my observations as to how we can up our export game – here are the two game changers. They go together and feed off each other.
If we want to control our laws, our economy and our trade agreements, we cannot stay in either arrangement.
If trade was completely cut off, we would lose a larger proportion of our economy than the EU would.
Any attempt to attack the City is much more likely to result in business lost to New York than to Paris, Dublin, Frankfurt or Luxembourg.
A clean Brexit won’t harm trade, it will make us free to prosper.