June 2, 2017 2.28 pm This story is over 81 months old

‘EU could create a free trade deal with us tomorrow’, claims Gainsborough Conservative candidate

The European Union could create a free trade deal with the UK tomorrow if they wanted to do so, Gainsborough Conservative candidate Sir Edward Leigh has insisted. The veteran backbench Member of Parliament said that it would be “appalling” to create the wrong sort of deal, such as one which would include membership of the…
Sir Edward Leigh. | Photo: The Lincolnite

The European Union could create a free trade deal with the UK tomorrow if they wanted to do so, Gainsborough Conservative candidate Sir Edward Leigh has insisted.

The veteran backbench Member of Parliament said that it would be “appalling” to create the wrong sort of deal, such as one which would include membership of the single market, which he claimed would be worse than no deal.

Take a look at what Sir Edward Leigh said about the EU, British foreign policy and his time in the House of Commons below:

He said: “This is the easiest free trade deal that’s ever been negotiated because all our laws, all our directives, all our standards are exactly the same as Europe.

“Europe could create a free trade deal with us tomorrow if they wanted to but this is a political process and if they don’t want to do it, we can’t force them.”

Leigh, who has represented Gainsborough since 1983, said that no deal with the EU would not be such a disaster.

He said: “No deal would look like no deal.

“We would trade with Europe in exactly the same way as America trades with Europe, as China trades with Europe, as Japan trades with Europe.

“There are plenty of Japanese cars roaming around Europe.”

Asked how EU negotiators would be viewing the general election, Leigh suggested they were more likely to see her as “a bloody difficult woman”, providing “strong and stable leadership”, rather than “a blowhard who collapses at the first sign of gunfire”.

He added: “I think they will see her as a competent woman who I hope has a majority.”