STRAIGHT TALK
TOBY ORR: Brexit is UK’s chance to fix Africa ties
Complex subsidies due to EU’s Common Agricultural Policy harm the continent’s agricultural competitiveness, writes Toby Orr
In July 2007, just a few months after being elected Conservative Party leader, David Cameron flew to Rwanda to see first hand the country’s development and launch his party’s review on globalisation and global poverty. His first day involved a visit to a textile factory in Kigali, the country’s capital. Above the hum of the silk reels, he chatted to some of the 700 workers. Before he left, the factory owner, Raj Rejendran, asked for a word. Growing the business, he explained, required expanding into overseas markets. There was demand in the UK for his silk fabrics, but he faced heavy import duties. Might the new party leader look into the issue? David Cameron promised to do what he could. Since becoming leader, he had made tackling global poverty a personal priority. He even put Africa’s interests above those of his own constituents — heading to Rwanda when thousands of homes in his Oxfordshire constituency were under floodwater. But there was little help Cameron could give Rejendra...
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