Brexit and WTO

[Old Greg]

There was an Enemy of the Folk on the World Service this morning - didn't catch the blighter's name, but a metropolitan élite trade negotiator sort.

He was claiming that it wouldn't be so easy to reacitvate the UK's individual membership. Any opinions from the house?

Interesting article here:

Nothing simple about UK regaining WTO status post-Brexit | International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development

To be clear, these negotiations would be about sorting out the UK’s legal status quo in the WTO. They would be separate from any free trade agreement such as with the US, EU or anyone else, although the complicated web of talks would feed into each other.

The UK is already a WTO member, but its membership terms are bundled with the EU’s. Re-establishing the UK’s WTO status in its own right means both the UK and the EU would negotiate simultaneously with the rest of the WTO’s members to extract their separate membership terms. Agreement on the UK’s terms is unlikely before those of the EU.

For its part, the UK would have to negotiate with the EU itself, the US, China, Russia, India, Brazil, and any trading nation or group of nations that matters, large or small, rich or poor. It would only take one objection to hold up the talks because the WTO operates by consensus, not voting, one reason why WTO negotiations take so long.

[VectraMan]

Negotiating Brexit will cost the UK £350 million per week. Let's fund our NHS instead.

[Old Greg]

Negotiating Brexit will cost the UK £350 million per week. Let's fund our NHS instead.

Let's fund the EU instead. At least we get a hefty rebate.

[Old Greg]

Sure the worlds 6th largest economy not in the WTO makes perfect sense. There are some real about these days.

The UK is already in the WTO. It will just simply need to reach a consensus agreement with every member before reactivating its individual membership terms. As this merely requires consensus of all WTO members, it should be easy enough I would think.

[BlasterBates]

The UK is already in the WTO. It will just simply need to reach a consensus agreement with every member before reactivating its individual membership terms. As this merely requires consensus of all WTO members, it should be easy enough I would think.

and of course no country or trading block (eg the EU) will exploit the UK's desperation to regain its independent WTO status and veto the whole thing unless they get some concessions.

[Old Greg]

and of course no country or trading block (eg the EU) will exploit the UK's desperation to regain its independent WTO status and veto the whole thing unless they get some concessions.

Argentina are expected to be extra helpful.

[scooterscot]

Argentina are expected to be extra helpful.

We could always sell them oil from a nearby source...

[OwlHoot]

The UK is already in the WTO. It will just simply need to reach a consensus agreement with every member before reactivating its individual membership terms. As this merely requires consensus of all WTO members, it should be easy enough I would think.

In the very unlikely event there are problems with any of this, it only goes to show the folly of becoming so entangled in the EU in the first place.

[scooterscot]

In the very unlikely event there are problems with any of this, it only goes to show the folly of becoming so entangled in the EU in the first place.

The folly you call entangled I call working together for mutual benefit. Just as well we've got so many experienced trade negotiators.

One or two projects I've been working on I can really see hitting the buffers. National air traffic services for instance. It has been a long held view that EU air traffic services should be one. The UK has made a large contribution to this effort as part of the EU. What happens next? Back to West Drayton circular radar screens?!

Then there's the standards which the UK has had a hand in developing from what was BSI to now EU on Rail and Aircraft standards. Or defence standards. The UK long ago let go of individuals that are key to drafting such standards, which are so important when defining new projects.

What a mess.

[NotAllThere]

In the very unlikely event there are problems with any of this, it only goes to show the folly of becoming so entangled in the EU in the first place.

That logic is only sound if you believe membership of the EU to be a bad thing.