Swiss told to ‘be patient’ over UK trade deal

Those hoping for a speedy free trade deal between Britain and Switzerland shouldn’t hold their breath – Brussels takes priority for the British, according to the head of one of Britain’s largest business organisations. “A trade deal [with Switzerland] would certainly be desirable, but first we have to sort out our relationship with the European Union,” Paul Drechsler, president of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry), told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper on Monday. Switzerland, Britain’s tenth-largest trading partner, would have to be patient, he said. “Switzerland has the best of all possible relations with the EU and Britain can learn from that,” Drechsler said, adding that Brexit would result in the greatest negotiations of economic policy since the end of the Soviet Union. On June 23, 51.9% of British voters decided Britain should leave the EU. Exactly how this will happen is currently under heated discussion. “For decades we’ve been working with ...

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