A Conservative member of parliament has spoken out against the leadership of his party and argued in clear terms for a stronger, trading Britain outside of the European Union.
Writing for cross-party Eurosceptic campaign group Get Britain Out, Andrew Rosindell MP said while he recognised the importance of Britain’s trade relationship with Europe as neighbours, “the idea that somehow we must forever have a euro-centric trade focus is simply outdated and wrong”. He said that arguing for stronger trade links with Commonwealth nations like Australia and Canada would put a positive spin on the campaign to leave the European Union, and that doing so would come with a whole host of benefits.
Commonwealth nations are significant destinations for British exports, and are markets in which British businesses can enjoy significant competitive advantages, thanks to a shared language, culture, and legal environment. In the Anglosphere, the United States is the largest trade surplus from the UK, and Australia is the second, running at £5.21 billion. Speaking of the trade deficit with Europe, from whom Britain imports more than it exports to, Rosindell explains it is crucial to balance the books by expanding trade with the rest of the world – opportunities for which are limited by barriers to trade created by the European Union.
Get Britain Out spokesman Alan Murad told Breitbart London:
“The EU is past its sell-by date, it makes no sense for Britain to focus its energy on a declining trading bloc. The EU remains the only regional economy struggling to enjoy a recovery. There is a world outside the EU, and it is full with opportunity for Britain.
“The Commonwealth contains some of the fastest growing markets in the world. It will be a travesty if we don’t take advantage of our historic links with the Commonwealth. “
The MP has a long record on campaigning for better relationships with Commonwealth Realms – the 16 global nations where the Queen is the head of state, and where in the majority of cases the populations are largely descendent from British settlers. Presently citizens of these countries, which includes Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have to queue in the ‘Rest of World’ line at British border control, while European citizens have the privilege of being able to use the same, faster line as British citizens.
He called on the government to extend this to Commonwealth Realm subjects in January, having already attempted to bring in a private members bill in 2012 to force the change.
Rosindell said: “The time has come to break down the barriers that currently exist and to demonstrate what a bright future Britain and the Commonwealth could have, we only need to be grasp the opportunity and do what Britain has always done throughout our history, be bold and fear nothing!”