Responding to a speech by Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, in which he signaled that Britain will leave the single market and become a "newly independent member" of the World Trade Organisation, Molly Scott Cato MEP, Green Party speaker on EU relations said:
“This is a fat and lazy response to the predicament the UK finds itself in as it tries to shape a new relationship with the EU. Dishing out free trade warnings to EU leaders is a display of arrogance and flippancy towards Europe and shows Fox really doesn’t understand how our relationship with the EU works.
“Seeking an ‘independent place at the WTO’ and leaving the UK to liberalise its trading arrangements and strike up competitive deals with countries across the world means a race to the bottom for British workers who will be forced to compete with workers in China and Brazil.
“The Green Party is clear that our aim in the negotiations should be to stay as close to the EU as possible ensuring a soft landing that protects both jobs, workers' rights and the environment. While Fox and the Tories are focused almost exclusively on trade, Greens are clear that our future vision needs to include the social Europe that protects our wildlife, our air, welfare standards on farms, and so many others aspects of our quality of life.”