- Title: Britain says Brexit won't create legal vacuum at WTO
- Date: 27th September 2016
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION (WTO) BUILDING WTO FLAGS READING "WTO FORUM" WTO DIRECTOR-GENERAL ROBERTO AZEVEDO WITH UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE LIAM FOX TALKING IN CORRIDOR AFTER THEIR MEETING WTO SECURITY WTO DIRECTOR-GENERAL ROBERTO AZEVEDO WITH UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE LIAM FOX WALKING AND SHAKING HANDS IN FRONT OF THE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE LIAM FOX SAYING: "The U.K is a full and founding member of the WTO. We have our own schedules that we currently share with the rest of the E.U. These set out are national commitments in the international trading system. The UK will continue to uphold these commitments when we leave the European Union. There will be no legal vacuum. But this will not stop us pursuing a more liberalised trade agenda in the future." VARIOUS OF WTO FORUM ONGOING SIGN READING (English) "WTO FORUM" / FOX SITTING IN PANEL CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE LIAM FOX SAYING: "The decision of the British people to leave the European Union is not symptomatic of a people looking inwards, but a people who want to take more control of our laws, our money and our borders. We are a proud and outward looking trading nation. We want Europe to succeed and be a vibrant partner in global affairs, economics and security, but in the era of globalization, we want to be free, to help shape an even more transparent, more open and more liberal trading environment." WTO FORUM PANELISTS VARIOUS OF AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UK SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE LIAM FOX SAYING: "And the message I want to give you today, is that, at the multilateral level, you will have no greater champion than the United Kingdom in the push towards further trade liberalisation." FOX WALKING AWAY FROM BUILDING AND BOARDING CAR FOX'S CONVOY LEAVING
- Embargoed: 12th October 2016 15:56
- Keywords: Liam Fox trade liberalisation European Union
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: International Trade
- Reuters ID: LVA00151CFS5J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: British Trade Secretary Liam Fox promised on Tuesday (September 27) Britain's departure from the European Union would not create a legal vacuum at the World Trade Organization, and said the country was determined to champion free trade.
Britain is a full and founding member of the WTO, but its membership terms are currently shared with the rest of the EU, Fox told a WTO conference in Geneva.
"The UK will continue to uphold these commitments when we leave the European Union. There will be no legal vacuum. But this will not stop us pursuing a more liberalised trade agenda in the future," he said, adding:
"The decision of the British people to leave the European Union is not symptomatic of a people looking inward, but a people who want to make more control of our laws, our money, and our borders."
Fox's appearance at the WTO, his first since the Brexit referendum on June 23, created a rare buzz among trade diplomats in Geneva, while markets were bracing in case Britain committed itself to a disruptive "hard Brexit" scenario.
But Fox did not reveal new details about how Britain planned to manage its exit from the EU, and left for talks with European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom without taking questions. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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