Today the UK and #NewZealand and signed the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. This deal deepens the special bonds of friendship between the country of my birth and the country I am proud to call home.
This trade relationship was worth £2.3 billion in 2020; the agreement is expected to significantly increase this and to increase bilateral trade by almost 60%, boosting the UK economy by £800 million.
It was a privilege for me to visit the New Zealand High Commission this evening and hear Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP speak about the deal she signed earlier as well as meet the other signatory NZ Trade Minister Damien O'Connor MP (pictured with me) and High Commissioner Bede Corry (on the right of the group photograph).
A really nice evening and some great news!