News Release

24th March 2000

Parliamentary Debate U.K. Economic And Political Ties With The United States Of America

With the US Senate currently investigating the economic impact of inviting Britain to join the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Michael Fabricant will be putting the case for closer economic and political ties with the United States at in a debate he has secured for 1pm on Wednesday 29th March in Westminster Hall in the House of Commons.

"Technology has ensured that compatibility is now more important than mere geography in international trade relations", says Michael Fabricant. "It is now cheaper to phone Paris, Texas than France or to send a container load of coal to New Jersey than to Nuremberg in Germany. E-commerce has made distance irrelevant. British companies invest more in the United States than any other country as a direct consequence of our similar legal systems, language, and business culture. I believe it is time to cement these relations by exploring the possibilities of Britain joining NAFTA.

"Since Elizabeth First, Britain has built its wealth on being a global trading nation. British jobs, as we have seen at Rover over the last few weeks, will not be secure if we put all our eggs in a single European basket".

The debate will be entitled: 'U.K. Economic and Political ties with the United States of America'.