The UK’s new commerce minister Douglas Alexander has vowed to place Europe again on the coronary heart of Britain’s business coverage, insisting: “Our technique gained’t be pushed by post-imperial delusions or political dogma.”
In his first interview since returning to ministerial workplace after a 14-year hole, Alexander claimed that the earlier Conservative authorities rushed to signal commerce agreements to divert consideration from the substandard deal it had struck with the EU.
In a dig at former prime minister Liz Truss, who was additionally beforehand commerce secretary, Alexander stated: “Our commerce technique will likely be primarily based on information, not delusion. I’m extra desirous about getting good offers that assist UK progress than getting my image on Instagram.”
Alexander stated he would revive commerce talks began by the Conservative authorities with India and Gulf states, however wouldn’t do offers at any worth.
However whereas Alexander can be looking for to restart talks with Israel, South Korea, Switzerland and Turkey, he made it clear {that a} principal focus will likely be on rebuilding post-Brexit commerce hyperlinks with the EU.
“Europe was an absence not a presence within the pondering of commerce ministers within the earlier authorities,” stated Alexander, who served in Gordon Brown’s final Labour authorities as worldwide improvement secretary.
“For all of the discuss in regards to the loss of life of distance, geography nonetheless issues with commerce,” he stated. “It’s no shock the UK’s largest buying and selling relationship is with the EU, it accounts for 4 per cent of the UK’s complete commerce.”
Alexander stated he could be supporting Nick Thomas-Symonds, EU relations minister, who will oversee detailed negotiations with Brussels to enhance the UK-EU partnership.
In an effort to forge nearer ties, Labour is looking for a veterinary settlement to cut back boundaries to agrifood commerce and a mutual recognition deal for skilled {qualifications} between the UK and EU nations. Alexander stated he additionally wished to deal with non-tariff boundaries, equivalent to product labelling guidelines.
Brussels has warned the UK that it should absolutely honour its Brexit divorce deal to exhibit “actual authorities dedication”, issuing eight key calls for, as reported by the FT final week.
The 56-year-old, who returned to parliament as MP for East Lothian on July 4, after Labour routed the Scottish Nationwide occasion, was propelled straight again into ministerial workplace by Sir Keir Starmer.
Alexander stated he was tipped off that Starmer would provide him a job “both at half-time or at full-time within the England vs Switzerland recreation” within the Euros match final month. He needed to wait till the conclusion of a penalty shootout to get the decision.
A commerce white paper is being drawn up, together with an evaluation of Britain’s business relationship with China, however an inventory of precedence FTAs has already been compiled, with the six Gulf Co-operation Council nations and India on the high of the listing.
The minister stated there could be no rush to conclude talks, which have been placed on maintain by Britain’s election, however added: “We’d hope to have negotiators within the room within the coming weeks.” Talks over potential offers with India and the GCC have been beneath means since 2022.
Getting higher entry for British providers exports will likely be a serious precedence and Alexander stated there could be no repeat of the extensively criticised commerce deal concluded by Truss in 2021 with Australia, which UK farmers have stated was one-sided.
“Hear — it’s time to get severe,” the minister stated. “The period of Instagram diplomacy being a substitute for cautious, detailed work that commerce negotiations contain is over.
“Companies will likely be a central focus of our commerce coverage,” he added. “Britain is the second largest providers exporter on this planet — they account for 80 per cent of our GDP.”
Alexander famous the election of a Labour authorities with a big majority on July 4 meant that Britain was now “arguably essentially the most politically secure G7 financial system for the approaching years”.
He claims it is a watershed second. “So many individuals after I was travelling overseas would ask me what’s occurred to the UK,” he stated. “They might ask the query usually with incredulity and even with pity.”
Starmer has stated he’s open to an FTA with the US, however Alexander conceded that was not going to occur any time quickly. “My sense is that the main target within the US is on their coming election in November than vital new approaches to commerce coverage,” he famous.
Alexander stated he was “optimistic” in regards to the earlier authorities’s determination to affix the transpacific commerce partnership, saying he welcomed the possibility to be a part of discussions with nations in a fast-growing a part of the world.
The Scot stated that on the time of the 2015 common election, he might by no means have imagined a return to ministerial workplace, when he stood amid the rubble of the Scottish Labour occasion, lowered to only a single Westminster seat.
He misplaced his Paisley seat within the SNP landslide, resulting in him spending nearly a decade away from Westminster.
Within the intervening years Alexander turned a fellow at Harvard and a visiting professor at Chicago and New York universities, in addition to taking quite a lot of advisory roles, together with advising U2 singer Bono on elevating funding to deal with world poverty.
There have been unfounded rumours that Alexander is perhaps propelled instantly into Starmer’s cupboard as international secretary, a job that in the end went, as anticipated, to former shadow international secretary David Lammy.
Alexander stated he was delighted simply to be again at Westminster as one in all 37 Labour MPs in Scotland, a outstanding political flip of occasions because the occasion’s near-annihilation in 2015. “It’s all basically inconceivable,” he stated.
