Campaigners have called for the Prime Minister to prioritise trade with the European Union after he said choosing between the US and the EU was a false choice.
Speaking at the Lord Mayor's Banquet, Keir Starmer said, "the idea that we must choose between our allies, that somehow we’re with either America or Europe, is plain wrong,”
However, trade experts and campaigners have warned that parallel trade negotiations with both the US under Donald Trump and EU could deliver unfavorable outcomes, either by delivering a one-sided UK-US trade deal which undermine high UK standards, or by discouraging the EU from agreeing to remove Brexit trade barriers, even if no meaningful deal with the US is ever struck. It is expected that when inaugurated next month, Donald Trump will deliver on his promise to introduce trade tariffs on all imported goods to the US including from the EU and UK.
This year, the National Audit Office revealed that the new post-Brexit border checks, introduced in April after repeated delays, will cost the public purse an eye-watering £4.7 billion, while a study from the London School of Economics found that new red tape from Brexit has already increased the average annual grocery bill by £250.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain,
“The Prime Minister is right that we do not need to choose between our allies, but when it comes to trade there can be only one priority. If Starmer wants to bring down costs for businesses and consumers, breaking down Brexit barriers is the way to achieve it."