UK is part of a trading bloc 30% larger than EU’s. Who knew?

‘Secretive Starmer’ has kept this very quiet for over a year – we wonder why?

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2026

Could it be anything to do with him wanting to rejoin the EU’s?

If Sir Keir won’t mention the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Facts4EU will.

A little over a year ago, on 15 December 2024, the UK officially became part of the CPTPP – the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In doing so, it became part of a free trade area 31% larger than that of the EU’s Single Market.

In all the EU Commission’s press statements, it judges these things according to the size of the populations in any trading bloc, so this report does the same. It also looks at this free trade area in other ways, but we will come on to this.

© CPTPP 2026

The number of people in each trading bloc – the EU versus the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The EU27 themselves total 446.0 million people. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are normally considered to be part of the Single Market for many things, but not on trade deals. In any case they would only add an extra 5.9 million, taking the total to 451.9 million, so we have left it where it is.

The population of the CPTPP (or Trans-Pacific Partnership) is 583.7 million, according to the UN’s Population Division. The United Kingdom has been a member of the CPTPP for over a year, but you would scarcely know it as Sir Keir Starmer never mentions it. (See below.)

Comparing the two trading blocs, the CPTPP (containing the UK) is 31% larger

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2026 - click to enlarge

Watch a great trade deal vanish under Sir Keir Starmer

When has anyone on the Government front benches ever mentioned this free trade area which the UK has been part of since 15 December 2024? By contrast, how often has the EU’s Single Market been mentioned over the past year?

The same question could be asked of the LibDems, who used their 10-minute rule bill slot before Christmas to demand the government rejoin the EU Single Market. It could even be asked of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition, whose leader, Kemi Badenoch, should remember the CPTPP, given it was she who flew to New Zealand to sign the official accession papers on 15 December 2024.

Nimble, independent Britain, freed up to do trade deals after decades, did just that

Despite decades as an EU member when the UK had no right to negotiate trade deals, and when it might be thought that the talents had been lost, somehow the Dept for International Trade/Business (which has gone through many name changes) came through. It was Liz Truss who claimed the credits.

The sloth-like EU and its long-drawn-out trade negotiations

Over the same years, we published many articles highly critical of the EU Commission’s negotiation of trade deals. One of the common criticisms was the length of time they took.

Below is a highly topical example. It shows the time it took the UK to negotiate the trade deal successfully with the CPTPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), versus the EU’s repeated, failed attempts with Mercosur. It is still not possible to be certain when their deal with the four Mercosur countries will be signed, although President von der Leyen is due to fly out to Brazil on Saturday. We say this purely because there are still several moves afoot to prevent the deal from being signed.

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2026 - click to enlarge

Does Sir Keir have any interest in this wonderful UK success?

Being part of the World's largest free trade area, 31% bigger than the EU in terms of people?

Here we have a wonderful UK success story to talk about. It is 30% bigger than the EU in terms of people (the measure the EU use). Not only that, but from starting talks to getting accession took only 755 days.

On Saturday the EU hopes to sign the papers for Mercosur – a group of four South American countries. No-one knows how long it will take for the EU to gain accession, but it could take a considerable time. The total time is likely to exceed 10,000 days, compared to the UK’s 755.

Why hasn’t ‘Secretive Starmer’ been shouting from the roof-tops about this deal?

Unless anything changes, the EU will sign a deal with the four ‘Mercosur’ South American countries on Saturday, 17 January 2026. The EU is very proud of this.

“The deal with the Mercosur partners (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) will create the world's biggest free trade zone, covering a market of over 700 million consumers.”

- EU Council, 09 Jan 2026

© EU Council, 09 Jan 2026

EU-Mercosur: Council greenlights signature of the comprehensive partnership and trade agreement

Mr ‘Secretive Starmer’ has therefore had one year and a month so far, to be singing the praises of the UK as a member of the biggest free trade area in the world. Not only has he not done this, he hasn’t even mentioned the UK’s membership of the CPTPP that we can find anywhere.

On the other hand, he has found time to talk about a body with a smaller free trade area (the EU) on a regular basis, while finding ways to criticise the means by which the UK was able to negotiate and complete accession to the CPTPP (Brexit).

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So what happens to the Trans-Pacific Partnership as biggest free trade area after Saturday?

On Saturday, Ursula von der Leyen can sign as many documents as she wants, that does not mean that the deal between the EU and Mercosur will start. As we stated earlier, it is uncertain currently what the timescales will be for the various elements to fall into place.

The one thing we will say with some confidence is that it is highly likely that it will be the EU with its interminable procedures which will be the cause of the delays. This means that the UK will retain its position in “the largest free trade area in the world” for some considerable time yet.

The next piece of important information relates to Indonesia, whose application to join the CPTPP was made easier when Australia sponsored it and the UK offered its assistance with the whole application process itself, being the last country to have gone through this.

We would not be surprised if Indonesia accessed the Trans-Pacific Partnership faster than the EU and Mercosur’s deal had all the necessary approvals. In either event, once Indonesia joins the CPTPP, it will put the title out of reach for the EU, as the following chart shows.

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2026 - click to enlarge

Guess who signed this great Trans-Atlantic deal for the British?

Finally, just three weeks after the CPTPP nations first met to discuss the UK’s application, negotiations began and two years later on 16 July 2023 the then Business and Trade Secretary (now Conservative Party Leader) Kemi Badenoch formally signed the accession treaty in New Zealand. It then took a long time, as it always does, to get the necessary number of approvals from the other countries.

Another first for Brexit Britain

The UK is the first non-founding country in the world to join the CPTPP since its formation and was the first member from Europe. The EU’s approaches to the CPTPP have been abortive and are likely to remain so.

The CPTPP is very different to the EU. This is a free trade area which is what most countries want. It does not require all the conditions which the EU impose on its members.

• CPTPP members can pursue independent trade policies with non-CPTPP members, as the UK has already done
• It does not require the UK to obey its laws, nor its foreign or defence policies
• Nor does it require a massive annual membership fee to subsidise the smaller and poorer member countries
• The CPTPP does not have political institutions such as a parliament or an unelected Commission, as is the case with the EU
• The CPTPP deal does not separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom, as the EU has done

[ Sources: EU Commission | EU Council | CPTPP | The Rt Hon Liz Truss ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Thurs 15 Jan 2026

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Guess who signed this great Trans-Atlantic deal for the British?

Finally, just three weeks after the CPTPP nations first met to discuss the UK’s application, negotiations began and two years later on 16 July 2023 the then Business and Trade Secretary (now Conservative Party Leader) Kemi Badenoch formally signed the accession treaty in New Zealand. It then took a long time, as it always does, to get the necessary number of approvals from the other countries. “I’m delighted to be here in New Zealand to sign a deal that will be a big boost for British businesses and deliver billions of pounds in additional trade, as well as open up huge opportunities and unparalleled access to a market of over 500 million people. “We are using our status as an independent trading nation to join an exciting, growing, forward-looking trade bloc, which will help grow the UK economy and build on the hundreds of thousands of jobs CPTPP-owned businesses already support up and down the country.” - The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, speaking from New Zealand following the signing ceremony, 16 Jul 2023 (pictured above) *********************************************************************************

1. Brexit Britain secured a free trade agreement with a massive global trading bloc, at impressive speed

On 02 June 2021, just five months after the UK formally left the EU and its ‘Transition Period’, the 11 countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership known as CPTPP agreed to invite the United Kingdom to become the first non-founding member of their fast-growing trade bloc.

Just three weeks after the CPTPP nations met, negotiations began and two years later on 16 July 2023 the then Business and Trade Secretary (now Conservative Party Leader) Kemi Badenoch formally signed the accession treaty in New Zealand.

On 15 December – in just four weeks’ time - this massive trade deal is scheduled to enter into force.

The EU also expressed an interest in joining the CPTPP but this has gone nowhere.

2. The sharp contrast between nimble Brexit Britain and the sloth-like EU

Contrast this with the EU’s sloth-like progress trying to secure a free trade agreement with another large trading bloc : Mercosur of South America.

Below we show the stark difference between the nimble Brexit Britain and the lumbering EU.

3. The UK’s trade deal with Australia and the EU’s total failure to achieve the same

© DFAT (Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) 2024 - click to enlarge

Trade negotiators from the UK and Australia held the first round of negotiations for a UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between 29 June and 10 July 2020. The UK and Australia subsequently signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in December 2021 – just 18 months later. This followed an ‘Agreement in Principle’ in June 2021, where most of the deal had been agreed.

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