Thread by @EmporersNewC

Hi, my name is Tom Harwood, and I didn't read as far as Article IX of the UK Australia trade agreement in force before we joined the EEC.

https://twitter.com/tomhfh/status/1395273333520932869

There is a consistent noise of an over nostalgic trade relationship from people who know as much about our trade relationship in the 70s as they did about all those tariffs the EU puts on the poorest countries in the word. 🙄

UKATA is in no way, shape, or form, reciprocal tariff free trade.

There is special mention of the damage Australia might do to our meat industry and temporary measures in the first year.

Here is the import table for the UK.

And there is a commitment to arrange a permanent policy which will protect our meat producers.

Anyone else what to bring up our pre-EEC Australian trade agreement, or are we done now?

There is a tariff tribunal, which you don't need if it's tariff free trade.

Don't worry, Tom will be invited onto Jeremy Vine or Politics Live, or Newsnight, to discuss our prior trade relationship with Australia, because our system is so horribly broken.

And he'll still be a step up from Dan Hannan.