Speaking from Mumbai, where he is travelling with a British trade delegation, Douglas Alexander made the case that geography and trade volumes put uk eu trade with the European Union above any alternative. The Scotland Secretary, who helped negotiate agreements with India and the US as a trade minister under Keir Starmer, argued that joint arrangements with Brussels - whether a customs union or full membership - would deliver a bigger economic prize, not least because the EU has now concluded its own agreement with India.

Why the EU outweighs separate deals

Alexander's argument rests on where Britain's trade actually flows:

• •The Channel is just 21 miles wide, and he said geography still matters in trade policy.
• •The EU is and will remain the UK's largest trading partner in the years to come.
• •The UK trades almost twice as much with the EU as with the United States, its largest single-country partner.
• •European neighbours account for almost half of total UK trade, and he said the country is already paying a real economic price for the new barriers raised with them.

Set against that, he pointed to the government's own analysis from the time of joining the CPTPP: membership offers a long-term boost to UK GDP of less than a tenth of 1% - small next to estimates of the structural damage Brexit did to the economy.

Brexit record under scrutiny

Alexander, who did not support leaving the EU, was blunt about the promises made in 2016. He said Brexiteers had pledged a buccaneering free trade nation in a world of falling barriers, but what has followed is a more protectionist, more regionalised world in which barriers have been going up.

That verdict carries weight given his own history: he negotiated the India and US files for the previous government before moving to his current role under a prime minister who has taken a different line.

India deal showing early results

The delegation he joined is there to defend the concrete alternative he helped build. The India agreement came into force earlier in 2026, and Alexander welcomed one early result: the price of scotch whisky in India has fallen by 10-15% since then.

Ministers on the trip have spent much of their time in meetings with Indian officials over what they describe as "teething problems" in the early implementation of the agreement, hitting smaller businesses hardest. Alexander said the work goes beyond tariffs: "We're also having a conversation at the level of regulation to see how do we overcome non-tariff barriers" that could hold the deal back if left unresolved.

Where the government stands

The context in London has shifted. Under Starmer, ministers argued against rejoining the EU because it would mean abandoning trade agreements with other countries. His successor, Andy Burnham, called this week for a "serious dialogue" on relations with Brussels, including possible re-entry.

Alexander, speaking in Mumbai alongside Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Environment Secretary Angela Eagle and a group of northern England mayors, backed no particular mechanism for closer relations. For many in government, the bigger prize would be an agreement at next month's EU summit, where Burnham hopes to sign new trading deals covering emissions, electricity and agricultural products.

Hurdles remain. The UK wants to discuss the protectionist "Made in Europe" policy, which British manufacturers fear will shut them out of a key market. EU leaders say they are willing to talk about British entry into the scheme - but are pushing the UK to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, fearing it would otherwise become a back door into the European market. Reynolds said this week he would not impose those tariffs simply because of pressure from Brussels.