Former New Zealand High Commissioner to the UK Sir Lockwood Smith says Britain needs to seize an opportunity to strike a meaningful post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.
Speaking on TVNZ1's Q+A this morning Sir Lockwood told Corin Dann that US President Donald Trump had weakened America’s position in global trade which had created an opportunity for Britain.
"Trump has pulled the US out of being the leader, say, on global trade and global economic issues. And we need the UK to step up," he said.
"We've got to make sure we work with him, we try and- At the end of the day, we’ll see the US start to join things like TPP. I think it’s not impossible, at the end of the day. And I think we’ve just got to make sure we don’t let him rattle us too much."
Sir Lockwood is currently in the UK working as part of a high powered international trade advisory group in London.
He doubted whether a white paper detailing the UK’s Brexit plans released this week was a step in the right direction.
"A halfway house is not going to work for the UK. They either stay in the EU or they get right out and they start negotiating a free trade agreement with the EU," he said.
Sir Lockwood said there are some challenges facing the white paper.
"It’s got to go to Parliament, and I think the Prime Minister has issues around being able to get the numbers she needs in the Commons there to get it supported. And so it is a really tricky time here, and there’s no doubt that President Trump’s comments haven’t helped."
He says there is a risk there is no Brexit deal come March when they’ve got to leave.
“There’s a view up here that the EU won’t accept this deal because they’ve always made clear that the UK won’t be able to pick what it likes out of the old EU arrangements and this deal that’s proposed tends to do that.
"We’re trying to encourage a real serious go at negotiating the world’s best free trade agreement for the EU."
Sir Lockwood says he hopes they can get there eventually, but he says it is not easy.
"Theresa May has a hugely difficult job and no one should pretend that it’s easy."
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