Talk about rewriting history with a side of hindsight.
For nine long years, the pro-Brexit press have been lusting for a Brexit ‘success’ story. And here it is – Britain being ‘sacrificed’ by Trump with a mere 10% levy on the goods it imports to the US, while the EU will face 20%.
‘Trump just proved Brexit was the best decision Britain ever made,’ raved the Telegraph.
‘Brexit Britain escapes worst of Trump tariffs pain,’ gushed the Express’s front page.
‘Trump’s tariffs are a real Brexit win,’ trumpeted the Spectator.
But come on, this is hardly the ‘victory’ they make it out to be. The UK has spent weeks working on a trade deal with the US to avoid the same punishing tariffs imposed on other countries like China and Canada.
A Downing Street source told the BBC: “We don’t want any tariffs at all, but a lower levy than others vindicates our approach. It matters because the difference between 10% and 20% is thousands of jobs.
“We will keep negotiating, keep cool and keep calm. Tomorrow we will continue with that work.”
Granted, the UK may be facing less of a hit than the EU, but let’s not pretend this is some brilliant Brexit triumph. If Britain were still part of the EU, Trump might have been more inclined to show some mercy to the US’s ‘special relationship’ partner. In fact, the Trump administration’s apparent ‘generosity’ might have been more about sending a message that breaking free from the EU has its rewards, thereby using us as the poster child for the merits of leaving the union, which Trump has a deep disdain for.
Who knows, when you’re dealing with a man who has the mindset and temperament of a three-year-old child, it’s hard to tell.
Meanwhile, Tories are using the trade war ‘win’ to bash Labour for opposing Brexit.
“The silver lining is that Brexit – which Labour ministers voted against no less than 48 times – means that we face far lower tariffs than the EU: a Brexit dividend that will have protected thousands of British jobs and businesses,” said shadow trade secretary Andrew Griffith.
Really? ‘Avoiding Trump’s trade war’ wasn’t emblazoned on the side of buses in 2016, was it? Talk about rewriting history with a side of hindsight.
No mention either of the strange position Northern Ireland finds itself in, which is, in trade terms, still part of the EU. Or the possibility that Europe might look to protect itself from the UK being a staging post for American goods to enter the Union.
Jack Daniels and Harley Davidsons from Boston to Rotterdam via London anyone?
There is still a lot of water to flow under this particular bridge which the Tories should be having a long hard think about. Sadly, it’s a long time since they did much by way of thinking, long or short, hard or soft.
And let’s not forget, a 10% levy will still hit Britain hard. This move marks a break from decades of American policy embracing free trade and will not be without consequences. The government’s own forecaster estimates that a worse-case scenario trade war could reduce UK economic growth by 1% and wipe out the £9.9bn of economic headroom Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s gave herself at last week’s Spring Statement.
And in all the triumphant rhetoric, there’s a conspicuous silence on the damage Brexit has already done. Studies that suggest UK goods exports are 30% lower than they would have been if we had not left the single market and customs union. Meanwhile, the knock-on effects of Brexit are being felt across industries, from difficulties in hiring workers to disruption in trade. And let’s not forget that Brexit has cost the UK £27bn in lost goods exports, with smaller businesses bearing the brunt.
If Trump’s ‘special deal’ with Britain, which will still leave us worse off, is the shining example of Brexit’s success, then we’re in real trouble.
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