UK minister says closer EU trade ties worth more than independent trade deals
Scotland secretary Douglas Alexander said Britain would gain more from much closer trading arrangements with the EU — up to a customs union or full membership — than from keeping its ability to negotiate free trade agreements with other countries, despite having helped secure deals with India and the US as a trade minister under Keir Starmer. Speaking to the Guardian from a trade delegation to India, he noted the EU has now struck its own similar deal with India, and that since the UK-India agreement took effect earlier this year, scotch whisky prices in India have fallen by 10–15%. His remarks signal a shift under Starmer's successor, Andy Burnham, who this week called for a "serious dialogue" on UK-EU relations, including possible re-entry.
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