Dear John
The UK Trade and Business Commission has JUST published
its first annual report.
There is precious little scrutiny
in parliament of the Government’s Brexit deal, or in fact, any of its
newly signed trade deals. Thankfully, the UK Trade and Business
Commission is plugging that deficit.
Hilary Benn MP and Peter Norris
of the Virgin Group, set up the Commission to bring together experts,
industry leaders and politicians from all parties to take evidence
from business and then make recommendations to the UK Government
about how it needs to improve its trade deals. Best for Britain is
proud to act as the Commission’s secretariat.
The annual report released
today details the first year of evidence and sets out the Commission’s
21 recommendations that will make life better for British businesses
and consumers.
Best for Britain campaigned
hard to keep the UK in the EU, and I will always be devastated about
Brexit. But I firmly believe it is in all our interests to preserve,
and deepen, our relationship and connection with our nearest
neighbours and allies.
The UK Trade & Business
Commission’s 21 recommendations for the UK Government
include:
-
A comprehensive EU-UK Veterinary Agreement that would significantly reduce burdens for
many exporting and importing businesses across the food and drink
industry.
-
A successor to the Brexit Support Fund with a simpler application process and more
substantial grants after the original fund paid out only £6.8m of the
£20m set aside to support businesses.
-
A long-term plan to improve UK-EU trade and
relations with a focus on
reducing obstacles and increasing the UKs reputation as a reliable
partner.
-
More flexible visa rules for seasonal workers, service industries and the creative
sector.
-
A more defined process for and increased scrutiny of new trade
deals including new bodies to
assess the impact they will have on UK standards and zero-carbon
ambitions.
The government’s Brexit deal has so
far delivered added costs for business, less choice for consumers,
increased delays, and now, in the midst of another global crisis, red
tape is even hampering our ability to deliver humanitarian
aid.
We can no longer afford to
engage in self-sabotaging trade battles with our closest neighbours.
Ministers should adopt these pragmatic recommendations and begin to
repair our relationship with Europe, which has been badly damaged over
the past few years.
The UK Trade and Business
Commission has heard over 2000 minutes of live evidence from 90
witnesses since its inception. This report couldn’t have happened
without their willingness to share their experiences and change the
landscape of UK business and trade for the better. We are grateful to
every single one of them.
Best for Britain looks forward
to continuing to work with the Commission and pushingGovernment
Ministers to improve the UK’s trading relationships and deliver a
better future for Britain.
Best wishes,
Naomi Smith
CEO - Best for Britain
P.S. You can highlight the
Commission’s report to your MP with a quick
email. Use our Hey-MP tool here
and send the report to your MP with a couple of clicks. Make sure your
MP understands the detail - businesses and ordinary people need MPs to
really understand and to press the Government to act. Now.
|
