Obviously we want unilateral free trade in agriculture but not just there, equally obviously
A good little report out from Policy Exchange making the same point that we've been making here. Unilateral free trade is a good thing, Brexit allows us to have it again, therefore we should have unilateral free trade post-Brexit. The only slight flaw with this report being that it concentrates upon agriculture rather than adamantly insisting, as we do, that the logic covers everything - not that that's a vice, we as usual are just doing a little more of that table thumping.
The Common Agricultural Policy has, at great expense, reduced agricultural productivity by lessening competition and supporting inefficient farmers, and increased costs for consumers. Outside the EU, the UK will be free to abolish tariffs on food products, which will unlock new trade deals, help developing countries and deliver cheaper food for consumers. We can also reform the agricultural subsidies regime so that we reward farmers who deliver public goods like biodiversity and flood prevention, rather than rewarding wealthy landowners.
Policy Exchange recommends that:
After leaving the EU Customs Union, the UK should unilaterally phase out tariffs that increase consumer food prices and complicate new trade deals.
Yes, quite so, why don't we all eat from that cornucopia of the world's food markets?
We would, and we have here and elsewhere, go further and offer the design of the perfect trade deal:
1.There will be no tariff or non-tariff barriers on imports into the UK.
2.Imports will be regulated in exactly the same manner as domestic production.
3.You can do what you like.
4.Err, that’s it.
Now that we've solved the entirety of Britain's trade stance before breakfast we'll get on with the more difficult things later in the day.