The Spectator

Full text: Liam Fox’s conference speech

There was a time when the terms ‘Britain’ and ‘trade’ would have been almost synonymous. For over two centuries we were the trading nation. From the intellectual pioneers such as Adam Smith, whose book ‘the Wealth of Nations’ made the case for free trade, to the Royal Navy’s patrol of the world’s trade routes to the might and resilience of the British Merchant Navy, this country was at the forefront of a free and open trading world. And this party also played its part. When Sir Robert Peel fought against the vested interests of the day to repeal the corn laws and prevent the exploitation of the poor, he set the tone for a Conservative party that was to become the most successful that the democratic world had ever seen.

It is astonishing then that for the last 43 years, trade has not been a primary responsibility of the United Kingdom but outsourced to the common market that would develop eventually into today’s European Union. All that is about to change. As a result of our historic decision on 23 June to leave the European Union, our new Prime Minister, Theresa May, has decided to put trade back at the heart of government. The new Department for International Trade will undertake that task and I am proud to be the first dedicated Secretary of State for Trade in decades.

We meet here in Birmingham at a moment of great national change. The result of our referendum in June was clear. The British people instructed us that they wanted to be given more control over the decisions that affect them and that is what we are working hard to deliver. That includes getting the right deal for Britain abroad, making a success of our exit from the EU and shaping an ambitious global role that puts Britain’s interests first.

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