John Baron MP presses Prime Minister over Chequers Statement

MP says we should not deny ourselves the advantages of Brexit

Today in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister gave a Statement following the Cabinet agreement at Chequers last week. This follows briefings this morning from No 10 to MPs, including John.

In the Chamber, John asked,

“It is accepted that the EU has a poor record on trade deals, in large part because of its protectionist rules and regulations. Doesn’t the Prime Minister accept that, in pursuing a ‘common rule book’ and promising ‘harmonisation’, we would be requiring imports from third countries to abide by these same EU laws, thereby making it more difficult to achieve trade deals once we leave the EU?”

The Prime Minister responded that we should maintain high standards as we leave the EU.

John said afterwards,

“Standards decided by the EU, which we would have to abide by, could throttle trade. I have not heard a satisfactory answer as to why, when applying EU rules to third country imports, we would not be restricting our ability to enter trade deals with non-EU countries when we leave. We would thereby be denying ourselves one of the key benefits of Brexit, which is to foster stronger trade with the faster-growing parts of the world economy.”

“A ‘common rule book’ for all goods and a commitment regarding future ‘harmonisation’ suggests that the UK would have to accept EU laws and regulations whilst having no say in their construction. I see no guarantee to the contrary.”

“I have further questions on immigration. The agreement suggests preferential treatment for EU citizens courtesy of a ‘mobility framework’. One of the main reasons I campaigned for Brexit is to rid us of an immigration policy which discriminates against the rest of the world outside the EU. We need a controlled and fair policy, best suited to our economic needs, which no longer penalises people on the basis of their nationality – and that includes from the EU.”