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Vince on Government’s “absurd” Japan trade plans

by Ian Shires on 31 August, 2017

Vince Cable has said that Theresa May’s visit to Japan has descended into farce before it has even begun. This was after the government briefed that a post-Brexit Britain would seek a trade deal with Japan based on the existing EU-Japan deal.

He put a reality check on the government’s spin:

Theresa May’s trip to Japan to gain a trade deal was already of questionable value because there can be no fresh agreements with other countries until we leave the EU.

But this staggering statement by the government just adds a whole new level of absurdity to their negotiating strategy. It is now saying that the best trade deal we can possibly hope for with Japan post-Brexit is the trade deal we already have as a member of the EU.

The likes of Liam Fox were promising a new dawn of improved trade deals but this clearly shows that even the government now recognises that the best possible deal we can get with one of the world’s largest economies is the deal negotiated by the EU.

The government is set on leaving the single market and customs union without the faintest idea of what our future trading relationships would be in a post Brexit-world, except that there will be more red tape.

The government, realising it won’t land a bespoke deal with Japan in advance of Brexit, has already had similar feedback from India. The government should not be surprised if it is also rebuffed by China.

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