Conservative and Labor MPs in the Select Committee on Trade also said that scrutiny of an agreement reached with Australia and New Zealand was in danger of being “rushed” by parliament before they could assess its impact on imports and exports to and from countries. of the Commonwealth. The dispute erupted after two days of talks between Trevelian and US trade envoy Kathryn Tai in Aberdeen this week. Understandably, the talks were more than “exploratory talks,” according to officials close to the talks. Officials on both sides discussed the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the world trading system before discussing the “principles” governing a possible agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States. The US is the UK’s only major export destination and total UK-US trade was valued at more than 220 220 billion in 2020. A UK-US free trade agreement could increase trade between the two countries by more than 15 billion £ “long term”. according to government forecasts. Talks have been going on for more than 18 months amid growing skepticism that an agreement could be agreed by the US Congress. Speaking Wednesday after a trade conference, Adam Posen, a former Bank of England policy director and head of the Washington-based Peterson Institute, said there was little chance of a deal between the UK and the US. Good Friday agreement, which ensured peace in Northern Ireland, remained in jeopardy. “The US Congress does not want to approve any trade deal of any kind with anyone,” Posen told Bloomberg. “Then you throw in Northern Ireland. This is not going to happen, 100%. “ MEPs are concerned that any proposals would degrade workers’ rights, despite promises from both sides. The US president has pledged to protect workers’ rights as part of any trade deal, and his officials have included an equal number of business and trade union representatives on trade advisory boards. Joe Biden is known to challenge trade agreements that merely reduce tariffs and facilitate exports of goods and services, arguing that he has failed to benefit living standards in most nations, including US industrial areas. Trevelian said TUC general secretary Francis O’Grady had been in talks in Aberdeen and expected the unions to play a role in advising the government on future trade deals. Subscribe to the daily Business Today email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk But she was not able to say whether there would be representation for unions, small businesses and independent experts in all groups, adding that she wanted to be flexible and “free” in the way she approached trade talks. Labor MPs on the trade committee accused the trade secretary of a top-down approach that excluded a number of voices, increasing the risk of ministers signing deals that are detrimental to domestic industries. Lloyd Russell-Moyle, a Labor MP for Brighton Kemptown, accused Trevelyan of refusing to follow the US and EU, which included an equal number of companies and unions on advisory committees, after it was revealed that the UK had included unions only in six out of 21. Shevaun Haviland, the head of the British Chambers of Commerce, has not yet been appointed to an advisory group, refusing to represent high-level mainly the small and medium-sized businesses in the lobby group. Trevelyan, who expects a US trade deal to improve the wages of British workers, said: “We get a lot of input from all these industry groups. Everything is in a flexible format and we try to include a mix of know-how. “There are six where we have invited unions and we continue to look all over for advice to make sure my team has the best people to advise.” Rosa Crawford, TUC’s Head of Commercial Policy, said: “The TUC has been waiting almost 18 months for the government to agree on all of our trade advisory nominations. “If the government seriously wants a ‘labor-centric’ approach to trade agreements, it should not step in to represent the unions. It must ensure that all industrial-based unions are represented in the areas covered by the groups. “
