Claire Young calls for MP vote on UK-US deal

Thornbury & Yate’s Liberal Democrat MP Claire Young has called for the Government to give MPs a vote in Parliament following the agreement of a UK-US deal. 

The full details of the deal are yet to be published; however, it is understood to be a limited agreement rather than a full trade deal and it fails to rollback many of the sweeping tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.

In exchange for a reduction of the new tariffs on UK cars and the removal of tariffs on UK steel and aluminium, the Government has conceded to allowing more US beef and agricultural goods to enter the UK and failed to secure a reduction in the overall 10% tariff rate.

In the meantime, negotiations are continuing on issues such as UK taxes on US tech giants, online safety protections for children, and the amount of access US pharmaceutical companies have to our NHS.

So far, the Government has also failed to commit to a vote on any agreement, meaning Parliament might not get a say on the deal.

Responding to the agreement, Claire Young MP said: 

“The devil will be in the detail when it comes to this flimsy deal with the US, especially when working with an unreliable bully like Donald Trump.

“The only thing we really know for certain is that Trump’s tariff barriers, impacting businesses and people’s pay packets across our area, are still in place and causing immense damage.

“People here in Thornbury & Yate deserve to know just how they will be impacted by this, and the Government should immediately publish the details of this agreement.

“The failure to give MPs a vote on it undermines trust and means the public lose their main voice in this process. That’s not right and the Government needs to bring forward a vote soon.

“I will continue to stand up for local farmers worried being undercut, to stop our online safety laws being undermined, and to ensure taxes on US tech giants are not horse-traded away.”