yes, it still is. We need to stay close but become less dependent on the EU27. The way to do that is to keep all the trading arrangements we have with EU27 and 65 other countries, and look for new opportunities where the EU has not got FTAs already.
Got a list of countries for us? What are you going to sell them? If, for example, I had been a NZ business man and if you gave me access to a market of 500 million clients on one hand and a market of 50 million clients on the other at me, which one do you think I would invest most commercial efforts in?
Time to wake up. Trade is about buying at "x" and selling at "y" with profit margin "z". Today's market means I don't have to buy from the UK at "y", I can buy direct from China at "x". Or I can buy from inside the EU at "z" and have the benefit of consumer protection, my product is guaranteed for 12 full months. There is also some guarantee that the product meets certain quality specs.
What benefit is the UK going to offer me as a client in the future:
- better quality?
- consumer protection?
- same price as going direct to the source in China?