According to all serious analysis an FTA with the EU and FTAs with the rest of the world will still on average increase UK firms barriers to trade - because FTAs remove so few barriers compared to the EU Single Market.
According to Government analysis.
According to Government analysis.
Next, how do you intend to protect against arbitrary tariffs? President Trump negotiated a new FTA with Mexico and still subsequently threatened them with arbitrary tariffs
As for not being under anyone else's control, if we do a trade deal with the US they could include a clause on not doing a trade deal with China. And there are increasing problems in negotiating simultaneously with US and EU
Moving on, in a Customs Union, EU tariffs will apply. We may or may not get much of a say as to how these are implemented in the UK depending on negotiations. But UK would have full freedom over services, which is supposed to be our strength
When I say all of this I am usually told by Brexit supporters that it's about more than economics. Got it in one. I understand. So why then do we constantly see the economics of Brexit constantly distorted not least by the Secretary of State for International Trade?
Access, security and freedom? Well, the access will be reduced. Not quite sure what security means in this context. And freedom, if relating to trade, is only the freedom to make tough choices, like on tariffs, agriculture etc
Almost nothing in this tweet is true. For now that's fine, we understand it to be campaigning. But the let down when businesses start running into problems doing things in the EU they currently do, or a US deal still doesn't remove most barriers, will be significant.
These tweets brought to you by the (non existent and not terribly catchy) "Campaign for Realistic Claims about Global Trade" which is particularly needed in both US and UK /end
