Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
23 MAY 2016

Leaked UK Briefing Shows NZ-EU Trade Deal is a Sham

The Prime Minister’s EU trade deal has been shown up to be the sham it is, with a major British newspaper reporting that France is leading the charge against free trade, says New Zealand First.

“The Daily Telegraph has sighted an official briefing, which says France and other EU countries are ‘hampering new free-trade deals because they want to protect their farmers from the extra competition it would bring’,” says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“France embracing genuine free trade with New Zealand is just as likely as it voting for prohibition.

“Given Mr Key says he’s confident of a deal with the EU, why did the Daily Telegraph omit New Zealand from a list of countries but did mention Australia? And Mr Key likes to claim he is such great mates with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron.

“The EU doesn’t want free trade, which is why we need to move beyond the fiction that these ‘deals’ are anything remotely close to genuine free trade. The likes of the TPPA and the Korean trade deal are about investment outcomes and not exports.

“It is ridiculous. EU membership means the United Kingdom cannot enter into Closer Commonwealth Economic Relations. EU Membership means New Zealand is losing influence in the UK every day because the EU fears the Commonwealth’s potential.

“This is why New Zealand First supports a Closer Commonwealth Economic Relations agreement and hopefully the United Kingdom will be able to join following its referendum.

“In contrast, the EU is all about centralised control and it is clear the EU wants no significant deal with New Zealand no matter the fiction being peddled by Mr Key,” Mr Peters said.

ENDS

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