Johnson to kick-start trade talks with US

Government hints it may soften its line on food standards as it seeks to put pressure on EU negotiators

Boris Johnson is to focus on trade talks with the US amid frustration in No10 at EU time-wasting. The Prime Minister will next Monday publish the Government’s red lines for its US trade negotiations, which are expected to push back on Washington’s demands for its drug and health firms to have greater access to the British market. But George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, yesterday appeared to soften the UK’S resistance to importing American chemically treated chicken.

BORIS JOHNSON is set to kick-start trade talks with the US within the next two weeks amid frustration in No10 at EU “time wasting”.

The Prime Minister will next Monday publish the Government’s “red lines” for its US trade negotiations, which are expected to push back on Washington’s demands for its drug and health firms to have greater access to the British market.

In an apparent nod to US concerns over Britain’s tough stance on food and agricultural standards, George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, yesterday appeared to soften the UK’S resistance to importing American chemically treated chicken.

Although he said he said there were “no plans” to allow imports of chlorine-treated chicken, which is illegal in the UK, he added it was an outdated technology anyway largely replaced in the US by chickens washed with lactic acid. “There is room for a sensible discussion here because we also use lactic acids for some species, notably on beef though not poultry,” he said.

The moves on US trade will be seen as an attempt to pile further pressure on the EU, whose leaders have questioned whether a trade deal can be agreed before the end of the year.

The Government will set out its detailed demands for an EU trade deal this Thursday. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said at the weekend that he was “not sure” a deal could be struck by Dec 31, the end of the Brexit transition period, and predicted that negotiations would be “tense” with fishing rights a key point of contention.

However, a Downing Street source said: “We left the EU on Jan 31 in line with the referendum result. We regain full independence for the people of the UK at the end of this year: the negotiation is about defining the terms on which we do that. As a wise man once said, please don’t waste this time.”

The mandate spelling out the UK’S demands for the talks with the EU will be signed off on Tuesday and will repeat the call by David Frost, Mr Johnson’s chief negotiator, for a “Canada free-trade agreement-type relationship”. Under Canada’s agreement with the EU, which took seven years to negotiate, import tariffs on most goods have been eliminated, though there are still customs and VAT checks.

However, Michel Barnier, the EU’S chief negotiator, has warned that the UK cannot expect to enjoy “high-quality” market access if it diverges from EU social and environmental standards.

Yesterday, it was reported that Mr Johnson’s Brexit team had been ordered to draw up plans to “get around” the Northern Ireland protocol to put more pressure on Brussels. Officials are said to be working on proposals to ensure that there do not need to be checks on goods passing from Britain through Northern Ireland.

It could require new legal advice from Suella Braverman, the Attorney General, as the move will be seen in Brussels as a breach of the exit agreement. A government spokesman said the UK would comply with its obligations under the withdrawal agreement.

Chris Hazzard, the Sinn Fein MP for South Down, said the UK Government “must not be allowed to sidestep their responsibilities”.