Brexit will mean global Britain, Fox tells Sydney business event

INTERNATIONAL Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox has said Brexit will mark the “emergence of a global Britain” as he visited Australia to discuss how the two countries could work together in the future.

At a business event in Sydney, Dr Fox said Britain’s departure from the EU could signal an opportunity to build and strengthen relationships across the world.

Joking that if the referendum were to happen again he would vote “with even greater relish, if that were possible” to leave the EU, he said he wanted to “build a partnership” with Australia “for the 21st century”.

He said: “There were many ... who condemned our democratic decision as the ultimate act of insularity. Some of them still do, unable to come to terms with the expressed will of the British people.

“They confidently predicted the UK would be left a diminished figure on the world stage, alone, friendless and isolated, with a broken economy and shattered prospects. How wrong they have been. They not only misunderstood the fundamental motivations behind the Leave vote but also the intrinsic strengths of the British economy. This is not Brexit, but the emergence of a global Britain.”

Naming Australia as “foremost among our Commonwealth friends”, Dr Fox said Brexit would allow Britain to “strengthen these partnerships further”.

On his visit to Australia, Dr Fox will meet trade policy organisations, business associations and British businesses, including BAE Systems. He will also meet Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop and minister for trade, tourism and investment Steven Ciobo.