Can Britain seal decent trade deals if it leaves the EU?

Negotiating our own trade deals represents a challenge for Britain, but a challenge that Switzerland’s history implies can be overcome. If Britain voted to leave the EU then the country would regain full responsibility for representing itself on the world stage. The government could no longer point to Brussels to excuse economic troubles. What Britain alone lacks in the EU’s clout, it could make up for in single-mindedness and purpose.

The EU-Canada deal shows that clout does not count for much, while the Swiss-Japanese agreement proves that independent countries can clinch meaningful deals. Brexit should not be seen as a threat to UK trade, but an opportunity.

• Primary Source

http://www.cps.org.uk/ http://www.cps.org.uk/

Civitas: Lessons From Switzerland: How might Britain go about business outside the EU?, October 2015 http://www.civitas.org.uk/europe/lessonsfromswitzerland

Blog: Open Europe, 19.10.15: Trade set to be key battleground in EU referendum http://openeurope.org.uk/blog/trade-set-to-be-key-battleground-in-eu-referendum/

Civitas: Research Areas: Europe http://www.civitas.org.uk/europe/index.php

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