The next Brexit battle - prioritising a US or EU trade deal. So how does the argument for the US stack up on this reading? Not well.... thread 1/ telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/1…
EU trade agreements link trade and regulations it is true.
So do US ones. That's why we're having a discussion on accepting US food, and they also want us to accept their definition of international standards. 2/
So do US ones. That's why we're having a discussion on accepting US food, and they also want us to accept their definition of international standards. 2/
Now, about those friends. That will be Canada which has so far declined to roll over the EU-Canada trade agreement for us. And I don't think Australia or New Zealand are primarily motivated by altruism in wanting a trade deal... 3/
But what of the US particularly? They are ready to prioritise us we hear. Could hat be by any chance as they want us to adopt their regulations where there is divergence with the EU? And what extra market access are we getting to their market? Not specified... 4/
"The US is not protectionist". Pardon? Those Buy America laws, the Jones Act on maritime services, Trump's desire to make more in the US, not protectionist? I think this might be confusing an idealised image with reality... 5/
And what actually is "regulatory competition" and what does it have to do with trade? 6/
But before we know it, without naming a single actual benefit of a US trade deal, we have liberty loving Americans. That's nice. But only usually said by those who have never tried to sell into the supposedly free but actually heavily regulated US market 7/
A final thought for now. What are the priorities of business for our trading relationship, for example of the UK-US business community? Oh... 8/ end
