Free movement between Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand backed by new report

Britain should take advantage of Brexit by offering freedom of movement to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, according to a new report by the Free Enterprise Group.

The report, titled Reconnecting with the Commonwealth: the UK’s free trade opportunities, has several suggestions for visa arrangements between the four countries.

For starters, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada should make it easier for people travelling within the Commonwealth bloc to get a skilled working or business visitor visa.

However, the report’s authors go even further, citing now British Foreign Secretary, and former newspaper columnist, Boris Johnson.

‘A truly global perspective’

In one of his columns for the UK’s Telegraph newspaper in 2013, Johnson did suggest freedom of movement for workers between Australia and Britain.

“It is time for Britain and Australia to set up a bilateral Free Labour Mobility Zone,” Johnson wrote.

“It would be an assertion that we are no longer thinking of ourselves as little Europeans, run by Brussels, but as a country with a truly global perspective.”

The Free Enterprise report backed this idea, not just for Australia and Britain, but for Canada and New Zealand too.

“Such as idea was recently polled across these countries and found strong support, particularly among young adults,” the report said.

“Exploring this with a feasibility study and working group between these nations should be an option.”

‘This is an exciting time for Britain’

Authored by UK MP James Cleverly and Tim Hewish, of the Royal Commonwealth Society, the report also has a foreword from former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

“This is an exciting time for Britain and an exhilarating one for the countless millions elsewhere who appreciate Britain’s unique contribution to western civilization,” writes Abbott.

“Free trade agreements with economically advanced Commonwealth countries are the obvious place for Britain to start.”

The Free Enterprise Group is a loose alliance of British Conservative MPs who aim to promote free enterprise and free market principles and policies.

The group is not alone in promoting the idea of freedom of movement between Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

A petition on Change.org, launched by Commonwealth Freedom of Movement Organization and supporting the idea, has already garnered 173,000 signatures.