The House of Lords today debated the opportunities presented by the UK’s decision to leave the EU for the promotion of global free trade, and the impact on domestic and international trade.
Lord Leigh of Hurley, the initiator of the debate, referenced recent Policy Exchange work by our Head of Trade Policy, Dr Geoff Raby, in his opening remarks.
Lord Leigh commended the “excellent work of Policy Exchange, and in particular Dr Geoff Raby and his work on free trade” citing evidence referenced in an earlier Policy Exchange blog that the EU imposes a tariff of “165% on diary products, 192% on livestock, and 197% on horticulture.”
Lord Leigh also referenced Dr Raby’s more recent comments that an EU-UK Free Trade Agreement would be the most unusual in modern history as negotiating new barriers to trade, rather than reducing them, is the opposite of what trade negotiators are trained to do.