China: Market Economy Status

Lord Pearson of Rannoch Excerpts

Monday 9th May 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Price]

The noble Baroness supports my own position: that the UK is stronger inside the EU. We have more trade agreements between the UK and the rest of the world than the United States and Canada together. We believe in free trade and, in our current position, we are best placed to access the world through free trade through the agreements that we have with the EU.

[Lord Pearson of Rannoch (UKIP)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Burt of Solihull (LD)]

My Lords—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con)]

My Lords, you need to help me out when this happens. I suggest that we hear briefly from the noble Lord, Lord Pearson, and then go back to the Conservative Benches.

[Lord Pearson of Rannoch]

But my Lords, if we were not in the European Union, would we not be able to make our own free trade with China, as many smaller economies have done?