{"id":3039,"date":"2025-01-23T11:36:27","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T11:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/uk-minister-rules-out-joining-europe-trade-scheme\/"},"modified":"2025-01-23T11:36:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T11:36:27","slug":"uk-minister-rules-out-joining-europe-trade-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/uk-minister-rules-out-joining-europe-trade-scheme\/","title":{"rendered":"UK minister rules out joining Europe trade scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>UK minister rules out joining Europe trade scheme <\/p>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ey0461q0\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-16qqe1u-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A cargo ship docked at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/zacvEq.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/cc64\/live\/bc7e8360-d97a-11ef-a7bb-3fe4cd8ea938.png 976w\" width=\"1040\" height=\"584.6271510516252\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\"><\/picture><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tvuve5-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\">EPA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"ssrcss-1hbb5i-BylineComponentWrapper e8mq1e90\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-qt5zqv-BylineWrapper e19uhciu17\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-h3c0s8-ContributorContainer e19uhciu16\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1u2in0b-Container-ContributorDetails e19uhciu13\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-68pt20-Text-TextContributorName e19uhciu6\">Kate Whannel<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-84ltp5-Text e19uhciu10\">Politics reporter<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-jlwt2c-Divider e19uhciu15\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"metadata-block\" class=\"ssrcss-xza2yt-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-1ik71mx-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-13nu8ri-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-30fcoe-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1if1g9v-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\"><time data-testid=\"timestamp\" datetime=\"2025-01-23T11:23:28.885Z\">12 minutes ago<\/time><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has ruled out joining a pan-European trade agreement, saying the UK does not &#8220;currently have plans&#8221; to sign up to the scheme. <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">On Wednesday, the EU&#8217;s new trade chief Maros Sefcovic told the BBC he was open to Britain joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM) as part of a post-Brexit &#8220;reset&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The arrangement allows for tariff-free trade of some goods from across dozens of countries in Europe and North Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Sefcovic told the BBC&#8217;s economics editor Faisal Islam the idea had not been &#8220;precisely formulated&#8221; by London and the &#8220;ball is in the UK&#8217;s court&#8221;. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The BBC understands the UK government has begun consultations with business over the benefits of the PEM plan that could help cut red tape and improve trade. No final decision has been made yet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Asked about the agreement in the House of Commons, Thomas-Symonds said he welcomed the &#8220;positive, constructive tone&#8221; from the EU trade commissioner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We are always looking for ways to reduce barriers of trade, but within our manifesto red lines, because we take a pragmatic view as to where the national interest lies. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We don&#8217;t currently have any plans to join PEM, and we are not going to provide a running commentary on every comment that&#8217;s made.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Labour&#8217;s manifesto said that there would be &#8220;no return to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement&#8221;. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"ssrcss-12l5xzx-LinksComponentWrapper e3eyuya0\">\n<section class=\"ssrcss-msolhr-LinksWrapper e3eyuya5\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-mh3hvv-InContentLinksGrid e3eyuya3\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-r2yl4r-PromoItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div data-testid=\"promo\" class=\"ssrcss-s1qr4x-Promo e1vyq2e80\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1enzf19-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1d68cot-PromoContent exn3ah99\">\n<div spacing=\"2\" class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span role=\"text\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah96\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">EU &#8216;could consider&#8217; UK joining pan-Europe customs scheme<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div spacing=\"2\" class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-1ik71mx-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-13nu8ri-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-30fcoe-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1if1g9v-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\">26 minutes ago<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-r2yl4r-PromoItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div data-testid=\"promo\" class=\"ssrcss-s1qr4x-Promo e1vyq2e80\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1enzf19-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1d68cot-PromoContent exn3ah99\">\n<div spacing=\"2\" class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span role=\"text\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah96\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Brexit fishing row heads for trade court showdown<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div spacing=\"2\" class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-1ik71mx-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-13nu8ri-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-30fcoe-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1if1g9v-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\">3 days ago<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-r2yl4r-PromoItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div data-testid=\"promo\" class=\"ssrcss-s1qr4x-Promo e1vyq2e80\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1enzf19-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1d68cot-PromoContent exn3ah99\">\n<div spacing=\"2\" class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span role=\"text\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah96\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Rachel Reeves signals wider reset of EU relations<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div spacing=\"2\" class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-1ik71mx-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-13nu8ri-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-30fcoe-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1if1g9v-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\">9 December 2024<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The minister&#8217;s comment prompted anger from the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who recently called for the UK to join a new customs deal with the EU, allowing tariff- free trade between the two blocs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It would also restrict the UK&#8217;s ability to strike trade deals with other countries. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Sir Ed accused the government of an &#8220;act of economic negligence,&#8221; adding: &#8220;It is alarming that the government is happy to negotiate with China but won&#8217;t even look at a better trading arrangement with our closest neighbours in Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;It is time for a proper UK-EU customs arrangement so we can strengthen our negotiations with Donald Trump, cut the red tape on our businesses and grow the economy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Speaking in the Commons, Conservative shadow cabinet office minister Alex Burghart said Mr Sefcovic was &#8220;a better guide to what is going on than the British government&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Another Conservative MP, John Cooper, said joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention would turn the UK &#8220;once again into rule-takers and not rule-makers&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He asked Thomas-Symonds to rule out signing up to an agreement that could see the UK &#8220;taking EU rules&#8221; and instead &#8220;strike out in the world and do new deals with America and around the Pacific-Rim&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The minister replied that it was not a &#8220;binary choice&#8221; and the government would not &#8220;choose between allies. We look to deepen all our relationships.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"topic-list\" class=\"ssrcss-1qmkvfu-TopicListWrapper etw6iwl1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-113c0cq-StyledTagContainer ed0g1kj1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-50vlbt-TopicListHeaderWrapper etw6iwl0\">\n<h2 type=\"normal\" class=\"ssrcss-ad2rmd-Heading e10rt3ze0\">Related topics<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17ehax8-Cluster e1ihwmse1\">\n<ul role=\"list\" spacing=\"2\" class=\"ssrcss-1ujonwb-ClusterItems e1ihwmse0\">\n<li>House of Commons<\/li>\n<li>Nick Thomas-Symonds<\/li>\n<li>Brexit<\/li>\n<li>Alex Burghart<\/li>\n<li>Ed Davey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Published at Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:23:28 +0000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UK minister rules out joining Europe trade scheme EPA Kate Whannel Politics reporter 12 minutes ago EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds has ruled out joining a pan-European trade agreement, saying the UK does not &#8220;currently have plans&#8221; to sign up to the scheme. On Wednesday, the EU&#8217;s new trade chief Maros Sefcovic told the BBC&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/uk-minister-rules-out-joining-europe-trade-scheme\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">UK minister rules out joining Europe trade scheme<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-politics","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}