Oral Answers to Questions

Owen Paterson Excerpts
Thursday 14th December 2017

(6 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson) is doing his best to imitate the launch of a rocket. I think we had better hear from the fellow.

Owen Paterson Portrait Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire) (Con)
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I am very touched, Mr Speaker.

We all wish the Prime Minister the very best of luck today, and we hope she agrees a reciprocal free trade deal with zero tariffs. Does my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State agree that the bar for success is that the deal has to be better than World Trade Organisation terms, the terms on which we trade with huge parts of the rest of the world and with other very large economies? Should the EU be unwise enough not to grant reciprocal free trade with zero tariffs, we will move to WTO terms and the Government will have no fears because they will have taken all the necessary contingency measures.