Pro-Brexit MEP Hails Trump’s Policy on Britain, Possible Free Trade Deal

Janice Atkinson, is an independent MEP for the South East of England. A former member of UKIP, she has campaigned ceaselessly for Brexit and believes that Britain’s place in the world is as a sovereign nation free to trade globally under its own agreements with nation states.

She was the only British politician to support President Trump from the start of his campaign and is now the senior UK MEP on the EU-US Delegation Committee. She is also Vice-President of the “Europe of Nations and Freedom Group” in the European Parliament, sitting in Brussels and Strasbourg alongside fellow European populist politicians including France’s Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders from the Netherlands.

Here, in an exclusive interview with the Tasnim News Agency, she answers questions about the impact of President Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal with 11 Pacific rim nations, the future of Anglo-American economic relations, and the likely dynamics of US-EU relations post-Brexit.

Following is the full text of the interview. 

Tasnim: What are the likely consequences of US withdrawal from TPP for the European powers? Britain in particular.

Atkinson: By cancelling US involvement in TPP, Mr. Trump is taking back control to boost employment in the US and to stop damaging environmental legislation that increases the price of goods and utilities.

TPP does not affect the European Union nor the UK.

But what it signals is that TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) is also dead in the water. Mr. Trump's willingness to strike a trade deal with the UK shows his commitment to our 'special relationship' which was sadly lacking under President Obama. President Obama disliked the British so much that he did not attend any receptions at the British Embassy in Washington.

It signals the end of cosy relationships with supra-national powers such as the European Union. When Mr. Obama flew to the UK to tell us to vote to remain in the EU, and saying that he would not have a free trade deal with us, he showed that he was more pro-EU than pro-UK. That was a mistake – the world has now conclusively changed.

Outsiders, be they Eurocrats or US Presidents, have to understand that in the UK we are a contrary but proud nation, the home of modern democracy and rule of law, which we gave to many countries in the world. We do not take threats too lightly. So, despite Obama’s misguided intervention – and perhaps even because of it -  we took back control by voting to leave the EU and reject a president who clearly was not our friend.

In contrast, before Mr. Trump was elected he said that 'Britain would be at the front of the queue for a trade agreement and he honoured that commitment within days of taking office.

He immediately invited Prime Minister Theresa May to visit Washington on Friday, the first world leader to do so. This invitation is quicker than any other president has ever issued to the UK in two centuries of close friendship.

Tasnim: More specifically, what scenarios do you see for the future of US-Britain economic relations under Trump?

Atkinson: The free trade agreement with the US is very exciting.

As soon as Article 50 is triggered giving notification to leave the EU, trade negotiations with the US can commence. We believe that we can reach an agreement for signature within 18 months. It could involve low trade tariffs or even zero tariffs. We could see the free movement of workers between our two countries.

It could be good for our dairy farmers. Anyone who has ever been to the US knows that their cheese is pretty awful! The UK, on the other hand, has a large and diverse cheese industry with many artisan producers.

We make some of the best cars in the world - Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Range Rover, Aston Martin, to name but a few.  That market could be very good for UK companies under a trade deal with the USA – and with many other nations.

Tasnim: Would you consider any substitute for the TPP with the same robust standards?

Atkinson: As we would not be part of TPP, as that was a pan-Asia/US deal, it makes no difference to us.

Tasnim: In general, how would US-Europe ties change under Trump? Will the Europeans begin to think of other economic powers as a replacement for the US?

Atkinson: The EU considers itself a super power now that plans have been sanctioned for it to have its own EU army.  This is a very chilling thought indeed.

MEP Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the liberal ALDE group and former Belgian prime minister, and the other federalists in the European Parliament are delighted that they have now got their very own army. They see it as a status symbol which somehow confirms the legitimacy of the EU as a sovereign body.

But will they use it to deter the millions of migrants trying to break into Europe, or to counter ISIS and jihadis? No, they want to use their fire power to threaten Russia. That is dangerous.

The EU would like to do a deal with China. The EU Commission’s official position is: "The EU is committed to open trading relations with China. However, the EU wants to ensure that China trades fairly, respects intellectual property rights and meets its WTO obligations".

Yet they do not mention human rights. They are happy to trade with a nation without democracy, no respect for human rights, they ignore China's encroachment in Tibet, Taiwan, Japan and the South China Sea and an economy driven by cheap labour and damaging environmental policies.  Yet at the same time, they consider Russia a risk or a threat. It doesn’t make sense.

Overall, I am optimistic that Brexit will provide the incentive for other individual European nations to hold referenda on EU membership and the euro. When a supranational entity disregards the will of the people and democracy, history has shown it always fails. Ultimately the EU will be no different and the UK has shown immense foresight as well as democracy in voting to be the first in the queue to leave.