Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
25 JUNE 2016
UK TRADE DEAL NOW AN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY - PETERS
New Zealand First is pushing hard for Closer Commonwealth Economic Relations (CCER) with the United Kingdom to be New
Zealand’s number one trade priority.
“In the wake of the ‘Brexit Vote’, New Zealand must be the first country in the queue for a trade deal with a liberated
United Kingdom,” says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.
“We already have the model of Closer Economic Relations with Australia. Adding the UK would begin to transform this into
Closer Commonwealth Economic Relations (CCER).
“As we have trade deals with Malaysia and Singapore too, CCER is the means to bring in other Commonwealth states.
Countries from South Africa to Canada and the emerging economic giant India.
“The combined gross domestic product of Commonwealth countries is predicted to hit US$14 trillion by 2020?
“CCER is about real free trade. There will be none of this Investor State Dispute Settlement nonsense because as
Commonwealth countries we share similar legal systems.
“Britain’s exit from the European Union within the next two years is the spark CCER needs to get it going. What’s more, Boris Johnson has spoken in favour of a similar concept.”
ENDS