London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

Brexit bombshell: New Zealand details 'Commonwealth connection' of 2.2bn to rival EU trade

Brexit bombshell: New Zealand details 'Commonwealth connection' of 2.2bn to rival EU trade

BREXIT could ultimately help the UK to establish better trading links with its Commonwealth partners to rival the European Union, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters suggested.
Brexit has been repeatedly hailed as an opportunity for the UK to branch out of the European Union and expand its trading ties with members of the Commonwealth. New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said his country is looking forward to striking a new trade agreement with Britain as he hinted at the possibility of establishing a "Commonwealth connection" to allow 2.2 billion people to trade "more effectively." Speaking to talkRADIO, Mr Peters said: "I'm very hopeful for a free trade deal with the UK.

"And I know we're going to run into many problems with the agricultural sector in the UK but, let's face it, we were running in the same sector problems shared by them and French farming community and other as well in the EU.

"But in the end there is a possibility for a Commonwealth connection."

The New Zealander politician suggested the trend of growth experienced by the UK and other Commonwealth countries ahead of COVID-19 signals there are great opportunities ahead once the world starts to recover from the pandemic.

He continued: "Up until COVID-19, 2.2 billion people with massive economies in terms of growing at five percent across the Commonwealth by average, this is the long-term potential.

"When we get past COVID-19, that needs to see an enlightened Britain picking up its game, the Commonwealth picking up its game and seeing the chance of one quarter of the world's population trading far more effectively with each other.

"And then, of course, expanding our trade with other countries as well as long as the trade is free and fair."

However, Mr Peters also warned his country is "very frustrated" because of the pace of free trade talks with the UK.

While the two countries began talks about a new trade agreement in July, Britain will not be able to implement it until the Brexit transition period is concluded in December 2020.

Asked about the opportunities a new agreement would create, Mr Peters said: "We offer first of all a country that is match fit for trade deals."

"We are seriously match fit for that in a way I don't think the UK is, because the UK's been locked up in the EU all these years," he added.

"In terms of their trading skills and finesse, and their firepower - without being critical, they've never had an outing lately, they've never had a test, so to speak.

"It's like coming into an Ashes contest when you haven't played for thirty years."

He added: "We believe we're totally match fit and ready to go - we just need the British to realise that you can do more than one trade deal at a time."

The Department of International Trade (DIT) said the UK is "excited by the possibility of a free trade deal" with New Zealand and insisted the country is "one step closer" to securing a deal.

They said: "The first round of talks with New Zealand were positive and productive.

"We're a step closer to reaching a comprehensive trade deal to boost trade and investment between our like-minded economies.

"DIT is focused on securing free trade agreements that secure benefits for every region and nation of the UK and talks are up and running."

Despite its inability to implement new trade agreements until January 2021, DIT Secretary Liz Truss has kickstarted talks with several countries around the world to secure its trading ties once the Brexit process is concluded.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
×