Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips grilled home secretary Yvette Cooper this morning over the UK’s new trade deal with the US. His blunt question – “Is Donald Trump taking you for a ride?” – came as critics questioned whether the agreement is as good as it seems.
📝 The deal at a glance
The deal, announced by Keir Starmer and his American counterpart on Thursday, will see tariffs on British steel and aluminium exports to the US drop from 25% to zero. It also cuts levies on 100,000 British cars sold in the US from 27.5% to 10%.
🔍 Critics aren’t convinced
Despite government claims that this deal will save thousands of manufacturing jobs, not everyone is impressed. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz told Sky News the agreement is “not worth the paper it’s written on.”
💬 Cooper dodges the question
When Phillips put this to Cooper on Sunday, she dodged the question, saying: “We have this agreement in place with the US, I think that is important, particularly the impact on our car industry, for example. It’s really important for Jaguar Land Rover.”
She added that the government still wants to “go further” in its trade relationship with the US, insisting, “We are an outward-looking trading nation, so clearly trade is important.”
❓ What about the EU?
Phillips then pushed Cooper on what this deal means for the UK’s relationship with the EU, as some commentators, including Stiglitz, have argued Britain should focus on European trade instead.
Cooper responded by pointing to the recent UK-India trade deal, saying this is why it’s best “not to do a running commentary” on potential agreements with other partners.
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