PHILIP Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, has written (July 4) it is “clear what the central trade-off will be: access to the single market versus freedom of movement”. Many commentators and establishment politicians agree with him. This is simply wrong.
In 2015, China, the United States, Russia, Japan, India and Brazil exported goods to the value of €864,855 million to the EU. None of these countries has “freedom of movement” with the EU. None of them even has a trade agreement with it.
As a fact, it is only the four countries in the European Free Trade Association – Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway – whose trade agreement requires freedom of movement. Of these, Liechtenstein has a derogation and Switzerland voted against freedom of movement in a referendum. So that leaves just two countries – Norway and Iceland – who have granted freedom of movement in return for access.
WILLIAM DARTMOUTH MEP for the South West of England and Gibraltar Whiteway, Newton Abbot, Devon
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