Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s trade commissioner, has said Brussels could let the UK into the Pan Euro Mediterranean Convention, which makes it easier for members to trade
Rachel Reeves has said she’s “absolutely happy” to look at joining a Europe-wide customs area to ease restrictions on trade.
Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s new trade chief, said last week that letting the UK join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM) was “something we could consider” as part of a post-Brexit reset. It would allow for tariff-free trade of goods across Europe, as well as some North African and Levantine nations.
The Chancellor told Sky: “We are absolutely happy to look at these different proposals because we know that the deal that the previous government secured is not working well enough. It’s not working well enough for small businesses trying to export, it’s not working well enough for larger businesses either.
“We’re grown-ups who admit that, whereas the previous government said there were no problems at all. And where there are constructive ideas we are happy to look at those, as long as they’re consistent with the red lines we set out in our manifesto.”
Labour ruled out rejoining the EU’s customs union or single market ahead of the 2024 election. But Keir Starmer wants to seek closer ties with Europe after years of Brexit wrangling.
The comments immediately sparked howls out outrage from the Tories, who said it risked “undoing Brexit by the back door”. Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said: “This scheme is not the silver bullet to growth the Government thinks it is.
“Whenever Labour negotiates, Britain loses. So, we need to make sure they don’t surrender important assets like our fishing rights. We must avoid undoing Brexit by the back door by aligning with the EU’s low-growth model.”
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It comes as the Chancellor prepares to make a major speech on growth this week, as she battles to get the UK economy firing.
Striking a more optimistic tone than in recent months, she told the BBC: “My optimism for Britain has never burned brighter than it does now and that’s why we are going further and faster in removing those things that are blocking investment and blocking businesses from creating the wealth and prosperity in our country.”
Ms Reeves also people have “underestimated” her before and she has “spent my life proving people wrong” when asked if she is hurt by being called “Rachel from accounts” by critics.
Asked whether she thought she would be subjected to a condescending label if she were a man, the Chancellor told Sky News: “Some people don’t want this Government to succeed. Some people don’t want me to succeed. I spend my life proving people wrong, proving that I can do stuff, that I’ve been underestimated.”
Asked if she was hurt by the nickname, she said: “I’ve probably been called worse things… in the end people are going to judge me on the job that I’m doing now, that I’m doing as Chancellor of the Exchequer.”