EU split will make the world a safer place
BRITAIN can help make the world safer by forging global alliances, the Government’s new top trade negotiator said yesterday.
Crawford Falconer said he was “incredibly optimistic” for Britain’s future outside the EU.
Mr Falconer, a UK and New Zealand citizen, spoke as he started his new job as chief trade negotiation adviser at Liam Fox’s Department for International Trade.
Security
He has more than 25 years’ experience in trade and foreign affairs, including as an ambassador to the World Trade Organisation and as a government minister in New Zealand.
Mr Falconer said: “As the UK prepares to leave the EU we have a huge opportunity to be a world innovator, striking trade deals outside of Europe, and to be an ambassador for free trade across the world.”
As well as economic benefits, there was “a powerful political and security element to getting this right”.
He added: “History is littered with instances of the destructive political consequences of closed markets. The UK, as the world’s fifth-largest economy, will now be in a position to make a real difference.”