PROMINENT Bradford figures are among community and business leaders who have written an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for the UK to “take back its autonomy in the fields of migration and commerce”.
A total of 80 signatories, all from Commonwealth backgrounds, argue that the UK should secure a free-trade-only deal with the EU, and re-establish its global role if the UK’s EU renegotiation does not bring back powers over immigration and trade policy.
Saleem Kader, CEO of Bradford-based Bombay Stores Group, and Sabiya Khan, chair of the British Muslim Women Forum, in Bradford, are among those to have added their names to the letter.
They outline concerns over fair migration, arguing that the EU binds the UK into a discriminatory migration policy, allowing EU citizens freedom of movement, while those coming to the UK from outside of the EU face greater restrictions.
In terms of trade deals, they point out that membership of the EU means the UK has no control over trade policy so it is unable to negotiate deals with countries from outside the EU, including Commonwealth nations such as India and Australia.
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