EU is our trade priority, says UK opposition Labor Party

BRIGHTON, England, Sept. 27 (Reuters) – The opposition Labor Party would make rebuilding Britain’s ties with the European Union its top trade priority, putting the bloc above US and Indo agreements. peaceful in the post-Brexit era, its trade policy chief Emily Thornberry said on Monday,

Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson is only two years away from a possible five-year term, but Labor is using its annual conference in southern England to present itself as a credible alternative government to the Great -Brittany plagued by fuel shortages, empty shelves and soaring energy prices.

The government has made the Indo-Pacific its trade priority, envisioning quality exports to its rapidly expanding middle classes and increasing demand for British professional services.

But Thornberry told Reuters she would instead focus on securing business partnerships closer to home, which have been hit by increased bureaucracy and a deterioration in diplomatic relations caused by the bitter EU exit negotiations.

“The reality is that it’s always easier to trade with those who are geographically close, that’s how it works,” Thornberry said.

She called the free trade agreement signed with the EU on Christmas Eve 2020 as “thin” and “desperate”, but said it was possible to draw inspiration from it and restore a better deal with Britain’s largest export market.

Since leaving the EU, UK exporters in certain sectors have either been excluded from EU markets or completely excluded by the demands of the new customs rules.

Thornberry’s first step would be to strike a deal with the EU to resolve food transport issues between Britain and the EU, and Britain and Northern Ireland.

The government has said it wants to find solutions, but will not permanently link its food standard to EU law.

A veterinary deal could help restore confidence with Brussels and open the door to mini-deals on a range of other difficult issues that have been delayed or left hanging by the 2020 deal, Thornberry said.

“Build on what is there, fix the holes, be pragmatic, be realistic, be mature politicians and not dogmatic,” Thornberry said.

Reporting by William James; Editing by Angus MacSwan

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