Kemi Badenoch hailed Britain’s massive post-Brexit Indo-Pacific trade deal while criticising Labour and the EU.
The UK’s entrance to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is described as a “outstanding deal for our country” by the Business and Trade Secretary.
Ms Badenoch, a fervent Brexit supporter, also took aim at Brussels, emphasising that Britain will not be compelled to give up its sovereignty.
She accused Labour of being resentful of the Conservative Government’s “fantastic” arrangement.
“I’m delighted to announce that since we first launched consultations in 2018, and after nearly two years of talks, the UK has substantially concluded negotiations to accede to CPTPP,” the Business and Trade Secretary said in a Commons statement on the CPTPP negotiations.
“We will become the first country to join since the original partnership was founded. I’m pleased to tell the House that we are delivering on our post-Brexit agenda for a modern, free-trading global Britain and this agreement represents the future of global trade.
“Our negotiators have spent 21 months working painstakingly and often through the night to get the best deal for the UK and that is what they have done.
“This is an outstanding deal for our country, giving access to a fast-growing economic block that will allow us to sell our goods and services without giving up control of our laws.”
Ms Badenoch, on the other hand, accused Labour MPs of “sucking on lemons” in her retort.
“It must be really, really difficult to sit there and find a way to celebrate while we’ve just agreed this fantastic trade deal,” she remarked. “Just looking at the Labour frontbench, it looks like they’ve been sucking on lemons.”
Ms Badenoch’s remarks come after Britain was admitted as a member of the Indo-Pacific trade grouping last month.