Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his New Zealand opposite number, Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday sealed a UK-New Zealand (NZ) trade deal in what has been hailed as another post-Brexit win.
According to 10 Downing, the so-called agreement-in-principle is a major step towards a full free trade agreement.
The deal is expected to offer similar provisions on areas like business travel to the Australia agreement. As a quid pro quo, Boris Johnson’s government has granted New Zealand greater market access to agricultural products such as lamb.
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It is understood that British farmers have raised concerns over the agreement, despite the deal dramatically lifting the tariff-free amount of lamb meat that can be sold to the UK. Their immediate concern is being shut out of the detailed engagement in trade policy the government had promised.
International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who is currently being grilled by MPs in the Commons has lauded the deal as yet another post-Brexit accomplishment.
On October 11, 2021 the trade secretary had announced that as part of its post-Brexit economic consolidation plans, the UK has commenced negotiations on a six-country trade deal with member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprise Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, all countries with whom the UK already shares close ties.
Trevelyan hailed the agreement as “a huge opportunity to liberalise trade with a growing market for British business and deepen ties with a region that is vital to our strategic interests.”
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Wednesday’s agreement comes on the heels of an announcement by Home Secretary, Priti Patel who said that the threat facing MPs has been upgraded to “substantial” after Southend MP Sir David Amess was fatally killed on Friday at a constituency surgery.
“Substantial” implies that an attack is likely, albeit not certain. Patel also told the Commons yesterday that it is the same level as the current national threat to the UK as a whole.
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