Brexit: North-East of England Debate
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Lord Shipley
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Brexit: North-East of England
Lord Shipley Excerpts(6 years ago)
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Lord Callanan
It is an excellent idea put forward by Conservative colleagues in the region who are setting the agenda for the north-east becoming a global manufacturing hub exporting to all parts of the world. I think it is an excellent proposal and we are looking at it very closely.
Lord Shipley (LD)
My Lords, is the Minister aware that a few days ago the Business Secretary spoke in the north-east of England and said that he favoured,
“a soft Brexit that does not hurt businesses in the region”.
He advocated a trading relationship free of tariffs and free of frictions. Does the Minister agree with the Business Secretary? Will he tell the House how the Government plan to achieve this outside the single market and a customs union?
Lord Callanan
Of course, the Business Secretary comes from the north-east of England, as does the noble Lord. I totally agree with him that we want an agreement that brings the lowest possible tariffs—if possible, no tariffs at all—and frictionless free trade. That is good for the north-east, as it is for all parts of the United Kingdom.