LETTER: We will do very well outside EU

I read, with interest, Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert's recent weekly article in the County Times and had to write in and correct him on a couple of his '˜facts'.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Feb 2016, 07:46 BST

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Firstly, his first three Prime Minister’s EU ‘reforms’ are so vague they could mean anything and will not change the UK’s relationship with the EU in any way.

Secondly, he stated that one of the EU ‘reforms’ David Cameron was negotiating for was to, ‘tackle the levels of immigration to our country’. This is not true.

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All David Cameron is asking the EU politburo, is for the UK to be able to stop ‘in-work’ benefits being paid to EU migrants for a period of four years. This is not to reduce migrants coming from within the EU.

This is not even a reduction in; unemployment benefit, housing benefit, child benefit or any of the other benefits being paid to the thousands upon thousands of EU economic migrants from; Spain, Bulgaria and every other country within the EU. Just a reduction in, ‘in-work’ benefits for four years.

Also, I stated in my last letter to the WSCT, Nick Herbert and David Cameron’s tactic will be to instil fear. Fear of the unknown.

Nick’s vague, unspecified, ‘substantial payment’ we would have to pay to the EU so we can continue trading is absolute rubbish.

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By leaving the EU we would trade with the EU and the rest of the world based on free trade and intergovernmental co-operation.

We will have the ability to sign bilateral trade agreements with non-EU countries – as Norway, Switzerland and Iceland do – an increasingly important advantage when every continent in the world is growing except Antarctica and Europe.

Why would the EU allow us such a deal?

Currently, the UK runs a trade deficit with the EU which is only partially off-set by our surplus with the rest of the world.

When we leave the EU we would, immediately, become the EU’s biggest export market!

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They would have no wish to jeopardise that and, in addition, under World Trade Organisation rules the EU could not apply a trade barrier where previously they didn’t have one.

Iceland’s Prime Minister has stated on more than one occasion that Iceland is much better off outside of the EU because they have control over their own legal framework, currency and natural resources.

Iceland has 300,000 people. The UK is the fifth largest economy in the world, the fourth largest military power and a leading member of G7 … I think we will do very well.

PETER GRACE

UKIP Arundel and South Downs branch treasurer, Chanctonbury, Ashington

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Related topics:David CameronArundelSouth DownsPrime MinisterIcelandSwitzerlandNorway