Brexit trade deals ‘will lead recovery’
NEW analysis has revealed that leaving the EU is not a barrier to trade going forward, despite the latest Project Fear claims by Remainers.
Statistics from Britain’s ports have shown it took the UK and EU just a month from the end of transition – and the new trade deal coming into effect – to return to normal with freight travelling between the two.
This is despite Remainers seizing on a figure from early January suggesting freight was down 68 per cent.
However, Northern Ireland remains a problem after a leaked letter from the European Commission to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove revealed the EU is still demanding measures be brought in to isolate the province from the rest of the UK.
But, writing for the Sunday Express today following her trip to India to
open negotiations on a new trade deal, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has highlighted again that the prosperous future of Global Britain lies outside the EU.
The latest data from ports shows freight traffic on ferries was hit by French president Emmanuel Macron closing the border in December over a panic about the new variant of coronavirus discovered in Kent.
After he relented there was a steady increase in freight following the UK and EU ending the transition period and starting the new trade deal.
Last month, the total flow was 73 per cent of 2020 levels while this month it has been 98 per cent.
A Government spokesman said it is clear the “Reasonable Worst Case Scenario” originally planned for had been avoided.
He said: “The latest data shows that overall freight flows between the UK and the EU are back to their normal levels. This has been possible thanks to the hard work put in by traders and hauliers to prepare for the end of the transition period.
“Our focus now is on making sure any business that is still facing challenges gets the support it needs to trade effectively with the EU, and that all businesses benefit from the new free trade agreements we are striking around the world.”
However, following the disastrous attempt by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to close the Irish border and block vaccines coming to the UK, the European Commission has again demanded Ulster is further isolated from the UK.
In a five-page letter, commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said: “Official controls at the border control posts are currently not performed
in compliance with the Withdrawal Agreement protocol and EU rules: very few checks.”
He also demanded the UK pays for an upgrade in IT on the border and to provide security for EU officials.
The letter has increased demands that Boris Johnson scraps the Northern Ireland protocol.
North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said: “The Sefcovic letter shows that the EU’S professed concern for Northern Ireland during the negotiations of the future relationship was a complete fraud.”
Meanwhile, Ms Truss said the India/ UK trade deal will build on the £23billion a year already traded.
She said: “There are few markets around the world that offer greater potential than India.” Some analysts believe India could replace China as a major trading partner for the UK.