Liz Truss – 2021 Comments on Trade Deal with New Zealand

The comments made by Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for International Trade, on 18 June 2021.

We have intensified negotiations and moved closer to an agreement that works for both nations. I want to thank Damien [New Zealand Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor] for the progress we have made over the past few days.

Both sides are committed to striking a modern, liberalising agreement that forges closer ties between two island democracies that believe in free and fair trade. I am pushing UK interests hard in areas like services, mobility and investment, and want a deal that cuts tariffs on our exports, makes it easier for our service providers to sell into New Zealand, and delivers for consumers here at home.

A deal would be an important step towards joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a £9 trillion free trade area of half a billion consumers, which would open new opportunities for our farmers, manufacturers and services firms to sell to some the largest and fastest-growing markets in the world.