CFI’s Vice-Chairman John Howell OBE MP celebrated flourishing ties between the UK and Israel and called for more cooperation, in Parliament this week.
Speaking in the Queen’s Speech debate on Britain’s Place in the World, Mr Howell said: “Let me be as positive as my right hon. Friend about our place in the world. This Government have made a big effort to encourage investment from Israel and to encourage bilateral treaties with it”.
He asked the International Development Secretary: “What will happen about that in the future, and how will we take it forward?”
Secretary of State for DfID, Rt. Hon. Alok Sharma MP said in response: “I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work he does as a trade envoy in Africa. He has talked about trade deals in the future. We are, of course, having relentlessly positive discussions about those, but, as I have said, we must first make sure that we get Brexit done before we move on to the next stage of this agenda”.
UK-Israel trade ties have now reached a record high of over $10 billion.
