Brexiteer Bridgen hails post-Brexit CANZUK trade bloc including freedom of movement
| Published date | 11 January 2021 |
"And I'm personally very keen to have a very close future with Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
"And I would be very supportive of a CANZUK style trading bloc which will make us the fourth biggest trading bloc in the world.
"We've got the same head of state, we're all parliamentary democracies based on the Westminster system.
"And ultimately I'd like to see a freedom of movement, freedom to travel, start a business, in any of our countries.
"I think that would be a great step forward. No language problems at all, it would be a great coalition of the anglosphere."
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However, according to a recent study, the UK will have to "fight its way to the table" as US-president elect Joe Biden seeks to rebuild American relations around the world.
With MPs set to debate Britain's future foreign policy in the Commons on Monday afternoon, a new research paper by Robin Niblett, director of the think tank Chatham House, has set out how a "global Britain" can strike a new path post-Brexit and how the Government can woo incoming administration figures in Washington.
The paper, called "Global Britain, global broker: A blueprint for the UK's future international role", states: "The incoming administration of Joe Biden will seek to heal America's relations with allies in Europe and Asia.
"But Brexit Britain will have to fight its way to the table on many of the most important trans-Atlantic issues, with the EU now the US's main counterpart in areas such as China relations and digital taxation."
The report suggests three areas ripe for Britain to tackle as a global broker in 2021, given the imminent arrival of the Biden administration.
It says: "First, the UK can leverage its world-leading commitments to carbon emissions reduction alongside its co-chairmanship of Cop26 to secure stronger national commitments on climate change from the US and China, the world's two largest emitters.
"Second, the UK can leverage its strong position in Nato alongside a more trans-Atlanticist Biden administration to broker closer working relations between Nato and the EU, especially on cybersecurity and protecting space assets, critical new priorities for the safety of European democracies.
"Third, the UK can use its presidency of...
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