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Gloucestershire Business News

Ex-MP brought in by retail group to help press for 'fair' Brexit deal

The British Retail Consortium has appointed a former MP to accelerate its research and further strengthen its voice on Brexit.

William Bain (pictured) served as Shadow Food and Farming Minister, and was a member of the BIS Select Committee working on inquiries which focused on trade issues.

He will work on the BRC's Fair Brexit For Consumers campaign, which is aimed at supporting the Government in ensuring a fair deal for consumers in negotiations with the EU.

Mr Bain, who was the MP for Glasgow North East from 2009 to 2015, will report to Andrew Opie, the director of food policy at the BRC.

Since leaving Westminster, he has worked as a consultant to companies on the implications of Brexit.

"The retail industry is at the epicentre of the changes ahead arising from the UK's transition to a new relationship with the European Union involving some of our biggest markets and industry supply chains," said Mr Bain.

"I'm thrilled to be part of the BRC's pioneering work as the voice of the industry at such an important time for UK businesses and consumers."

The BRC's recently published research advocated a 'smart Brexit' and made the case for an orderly and sequenced process that prioritises across the board tariff-free arrangements with the EU before securing new trading relationships with the rest of the world.

The research found that:

  • Retailers directly import approximately £5billion of food products and indirectly import approximately £15billion through wholesalers or manufacturers;
  • The weighted average tariff, if the UK were to default to WTO tariffs on UK food imports from the EU, would be 22 per cent;
  • New partners in the rest of the world present a big opportunity as nearly half the UK's non-food imports come from countries where there is no pre-existing EU trade arrangements. If new deals were negotiated with these countries, UK retailers could see reductions in tariffs on clothes of 12 per cent and leather handbags at three per cent, for example.

The BRC's chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE said: "The retail industry's biggest priority is to work alongside the Government to secure a fair Brexit for consumers.

"This means ensuring that ordinary shoppers aren't hit with the cost of unwanted new tariffs and the UK is able to build new trading relationships with the rest of the world in the long-term.

"William's experience and skills will further strengthen the BRC's voice on crucial trade and regulation issues during a pivotal period of time."

What do you think? Email mark@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk 

Picture credit: Wikimedia; used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence

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