Our City AM article - Trade blocs are obsolete: Why the Commonwealth is Britain’s future

Last week our Chairman, Lord Howell. and Director, Tim Hewish, wrote a joint article in City AM (London's first free daily business newspaper) about the growing potential of Commonwealth trade in the coming decades for the UK.

This is against the backdrop of the UK Chancellor's recent visit to China and the Chinese President's State Visit this week. We argue that the UK is right to look to emerging economies for trade such as China; however, there are Commonwealth markets that the UK can also utilise.

Below is an extract from the piece. You can read the full article in City AM here.

“India, Australia, Malaysia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, and Nigeria are emerging economic players in an increasingly networked world. And in turn, they form the gateways to other rising markets and new trade routes taking shape. Some people believe that India could yet prove the winning tortoise to the Chinese hare. Either way, the UK would be foolish to miss out...

“Britain is correct to woo China early, but we should not put Britain’s future prosperity all on red. In personal investment, it is prudent to have a diverse portfolio, spread across numerous sectors. The same is true for a country’s trade and investment strategy. The modern Commonwealth is emerging as a key part of the new pattern.  With all of the Commonwealth’s advantages and underpinnings, acknowledging the importance of this 53-nation network is not just an opportunity for Britain, but a matter of survival.”

Go visit the New Zealand Cellar this week

We were delighted to visit the New Zealand Cellar this week at its new home in PopBrixton. They participated in our inaugural Commonwealth food and drink festival in Parliament last Christmas and we also helped them crowd-fund their expansion early this year.

The Cellar is run by Melanie Brown, a proud Kiwi and Brixton resident. She raised £42,502 on Kickstarter which allowed her to open a shop front for her wines. You can pop down to the store to buy by the bottle, sit at the bar and drink-in by the glass, and you can also order online.

Offering a unique portfolio with 200 wines from 72 producers, the company’s intention is to showcase the very best wines from the country’s finest vineyards, with a firm focus toward boutique wineries and small production wines.

There is also a plan to circulate a magazine advertising the best of New Zealand products to those in the UK.

One of CX’s objectives has always been to support small businesses in London and beyond who are from a Commonwealth background. That is why we are delighted to play a small role in Melanie’s company. All our supporters will also get an email over the coming days with a limited time promo offer.

So we urge our supporters to visit Brixton this weekend and sample the fine New Zealand wine. 

You can find out more by following NZ Cellar on:

Twitter @NZcellar

Facebook /thenewzealandcellar

Instagram /NZwineUK

www.thenewzealandcellar.co.uk

Andrew Rosindell MP promotes Commonwealth migration in Parliament

Our Advisory Board Member Andrew Rosindell MP has introduced his United Kingdom Borders (Control and Sovereignty) bill to Parliament.

Andrew speaking at the launch of "Common-Trade, Common-Growth, Common-Wealth"

In his introductory remarks he said:

"Immigration to these islands over the centuries has been overwhelmingly positive in shaping our nation’s development and evolution, contributing to our cultural and economic success. Our island story has been enriched by the arrival of peoples of every nationality and, most especially in recent decades, those from our Commonwealth family of nations and territories, with whom we in the British Isles, including Ireland, share such a close bond through our cultural, historical and constitutional ties."

He went on to say that a future government may seek to

"give greater preference to the nations of the Commonwealth and Her Majesty’s realms, with whom we share so much in common, most notably our English language."

Commonwealth Exchange has always argued for a fairer deal for Commonwealth migrants and made a number of recommendations to achieve this in our "How to solve a problem like a visa" report.

In his concluding remarks, Andrew said:

"Through our ever closer integration with the European Union, I fear that we have lost sight of our place in the world as a global, trading nation, neglecting our close ties with the English-speaking world and Commonwealth, and instead aligning ourselves most closely with the one region of the world where economic growth is stagnating."

Commonwealth Exchange does not take a position on UK membership of the EU but we have produced an award winning plan for what Britain should do if it does chose to leave. However we do agree with Andrew that, in or out of the EU, the UK should do far more to engage with the Commonwealth and recognise the network's vast potential.

About the bill

Andrew's bill passed this first hurdle and, if it is selected, will have its second hearing on 22nd January 2016. It will be introduced by Andrew and other Parliamentarians including two more of our Advisory Board members: Frank Field MP and Kate Hoey MP. You can read Andrews full introductory speech here or watch it here.

Uptick in Commonwealth migration is welcome but there is still a long way to go

Figures released this morning show a small increase in Commonwealth migration but as the below chart shows, there is still a long way to go to reach levels seen just a few years ago.

Additionally, we are still seeing the Commonwealth declining as a percentage of the UK's immigration. As can be seen below, Commonwealth citizens are being squeezed out of the UK's immigrant picture.

It's time for the UK Government to start offering a fair and level playing field to the Commonwealth. Implementing the recommendations of our "How to Solve a Problem Like a Visa" report would be a great start.

All figures are sourced from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

CX is available for comment and interviews. Details of how to get in touch are here.

CX is putting the Commonwealth on the agenda

Part of our mission at CX is reminding the UK of its Commonwealth opportunities and potential as well as ensuring that the Commonwealth is at the heart of public debate and political discussion.

In the last few days we've been doing just that, publishing a number of articles on a variety of topics and platforms. Here are a few of our recent pieces:

Telegraph: Commonwealth citizens could swing the EU referendum

Our Chairman Lord Howell and our Executive Director Tim Hewish have written for the Daily Telegraph pointing out that Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK will be able to vote in the upcoming EU referendum.

They could represent a swing of up to 6%, more than enough to change the outcome. Both sides of the debate would be foolish to ignore these crucial potential voters.

Read the full piece here.

ConHome: The Government is wrong. We need more students from the Commonwealth to stay and work in Britain.

Our Director Ralph Buckle wrote for the ConservativeHome website attacking government proposals further cracking down on international students wishing to work in the UK.

He concludes: "even the suggestion of [these proposals] is damaging Britain in myriad ways. If they are implemented, it could take decades for us to recover."

Read it here.

The Commentator: UK could do a lot worse than becoming “an Atlantic Singapore”

Ralph also wrote for The Commentator at the weekend. He rebutted an article which was critical of Singapore and instead said that the UK could learn a lot from the city state.

He argued that "Singapore is easily one of the most open nations on the planet, and one of the least corrupt... In or out of the EU, Britain could certainly do with a dose of Singapore’s entrepreneurial zeal."

You can find the article here.

ConWayForward: Six reasons to support free trade with the Commonwealth

Completing a hat-trick of articles, Ralph also penned a piece for Conservative Way Forward's blog.

He set out six reasons why the Commonwealth should be our first port of call for increasing and liberalising trade.

See if you agree here.