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8th May 2025
10:40am BST
The UK has agreed to some concessions on food and agriculture imports from the US in order to get a better tariff deal, according to reports.
According to Sky News, the concessions have been made so that Britain secures an easing of export tariffs for the car industry.
The news has already been slammed by some voices in the farming industry, including Save British Farming founder Liz Webster, who labelled the move a "sell out."
The main barrier for US access to Britain's food market is regulation, with products such as chlorinated chicken illegal in the UK.
Earlier this year, Trump had suggested the UK must buy America's chlorinated chicken if Starmer's government wants a relief from tariffs.
On Thursday, Donald Trump is set to announce a trade deal between the US and UK. Whilst it has been all but confirmed that the deal will see the UK get a better deal on the president's 'Liberation Day' tariffs, the finer details of how the UK has got this are unclear.
Along with potential concessions on food, which could provide US access to the British market, it is reported that the deal could see a reduction or even abolition of Labour's 2% digital sales tax on US tech giants such as Amazon and Google.
As a result, some opposition parties are calling for Sir Keir Starmer to put the deal to parliament for a vote so it can be fully scrutinised by MPs.
In a statement on Thursday, Lib Dem treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said Labour “should not be afraid” to put the deal to Parliament if they are confident it is in the UK’s best interests.
The St Albans MP said: “Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.
“A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.
“If the government is confident the agreement it has negotiated with Trump is in Britain’s national interest, it should not be afraid to bring it before MPs.”
