After months of dodging the B-word, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds finally admitted that Brexit is to thank for securing a better trade deal with the US than the EU. Over the weekend Trump agreed 15% tariffs on EU goods, still higher than the UK’s 10%…
Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Reynolds conceded this was a Brexit benefit. He said:
“I’m absolutely clear, this is a benefit of being out of the European Union, having our independent trade policy, absolutely no doubt about that.”
Reynolds makes an eloquent argument for an independent Britain breaking free into global markets. Shame his government is returning the UK to the bloc by the back door…
Back in April David Lammy refused to admit the deal had anything to do with Brexit, while and Reynolds could only bring himself to say that the UK was in a “better position than a lot of other countries.” Will Starmer thank Brexit voters yet?
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”