Decisions on whether to allow chlorine-washed chicken to be sold to British consumers would be taken at the “very end stage” of a potential US-UK free trade deal, Liam Fox said as he condemned media “obsession” with the subject.
The International Trade Secretary was in Washington for talks on post-Brexit trade links with the United States amid concerns that any agreement would open up British markets to US agricultural products including the controversial chickens.
Dr Fox said closer trade ties could boost prosperity in both countries and hit out at Brexit critics, claiming they were “dreaming” if they thought the UK could end up remaining in the European Union.
Asked if he would feel comfortable eating a chlorine-washed chicken, Dr Fox said: “In a debate which should be about how we make our contribution to global liberalisation and the increased prosperity of both the UK, the US and our trading partners, the complexities of those – the continuity agreements, the short-term gains that we may make, the opportunities we have and our ability to work jointly towards both a free-trade agreement and WTO liberalisation – the British media are obsessed with chlorine-washed chickens, a detail of the very end stage of one sector of a potential free trade agreement.
“I say no more than that.”
Dr Fox urged Remainers to accept the result of the referendum and help secure the best outcome for the UK rather than seek to “thwart” Brexit.
The prominent Brexiteer said: “Those who are still intent on trying to thwart the process, or seem to hope that something will magically appear that will change the referendum results, they are dreaming.”
Answering questions following a speech at the American Enterprise Institute conservative think tank, Dr Fox said it would be “optimistic” to think a free-trade deal with the European Union could be concluded by the time of Brexit in March 2019 but ministers were supportive of a transitional deal so that businesses would not face a cliff-edge change in the rules.
There was a “growing consensus” in Cabinet for an “implementation” phase, which would see the UK voluntarily keep some of the EU’s laws and rules, he said.
But he rejected Brussels’ demands for the European Court of Justice to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK after Brexit, saying it was a “very strange view of jurisprudence”.
Theresa May’s official spokesman said it was too early to discuss specific details of any trade deal, such as the issue of chlorinated chicken.
The spokesman was challenged at a regular Westminster media briefing over whether the Government was guaranteeing to maintain EU-level food standards after Brexit.
He said: “Our position when it comes to food is that maintaining the safety and public confidence in the food we eat is of the highest priority Any future trade deal must work for UK farmers, businesses and consumers.”
Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, a leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign, said: “The Government is putting the Fox in charge of the hen coop when it comes to food safety.
“This row about chlorine chicken is a direct result of the Government’s decision to leave the single market. They are so desperate for new trade deals to make up for some of the losses that they seem ready to compromise on the safety of the food we eat.”
Britain is to release a report detailing the UK’s trade links with every single one of the 435 congressional districts in the USA, in a bid to win the backing of American politicians for a swift post-Brexit trade deal.
The publication, which highlights more than 700,000 US jobs supported by exports to the UK in 2015, has been compiled by a new US/UK trade and investment working group set up by Dr Fox’s Department for International Trade.
In his speech to the AEI, Dr Fox warned that global growth and prosperity were under threat from an increase in protectionist measures “silting up” world trade since the crash of 2008.
He called for swift completion of the mooted Trade in Services Agreement to liberalise trade in sectors like banking and healthcare, as well as action to enforce rules against illegal subsidies and dumping.
And he suggested that technological advances mean that geographically-based trade blocs like the European Union are becoming a thing of the past, with service economies like the UK able to sell anywhere in the world.
Rapid change demands “a reassessment of the 20th century structure of the geographical bloc”, he said, adding: “For the most advanced economies, like the US or UK, where almost 80% of our economic activity is service-based, we can afford to seek closer partnerships with those whose demands complement our output, not necessarily those who are geographically proximate.
“I’m not in any way underplaying the importance of our trade in goods, but we need to harness the speed and flexibility that the globalised world demands. This requires the ability to sell more into the full range of global markets… even if they are further away.”
Issuing an appeal for greater liberalisation of trade in services, Dr Fox said: “If we are to continue to prosper in an age where knowledge and services are as economically important as oil or cars, then we must work to build an international framework that keeps up with modern demands.
“Extending trading freedoms to our service sector means unlocking new markets for our tech companies, our finance industry and the wider knowledge-based economy.
“These are the areas in which advanced economies can continue to lead the world. We should ensure we give our industries the right conditions to retain that competitive edge. That’s why the UK supports the conclusion of the Trade in Services Agreement as soon as practically possible.”
Dr Fox said that Britain will remain “proud champions in the cause of global free trade” after leaving the European Union and will aim to retain its “ties of commerce, standards and shared interests” with its EU neighbours.
With the UK and EU already enjoying regulatory equivalence and a zero-tariff environment, the challenge of reaching a comprehensive post-Brexit trade agreement was “not primarily economic, but practical and political”, he said.
He pledged that the UK Government will aim to provide “stability, continuity and no disruption to market access” throughout the Brexit process and insisted Britain was looking to its new place in the world with “confidence and optimism”.
Campaign group Open Britain issued a challenge for Dr Fox to eat chlorine-washed chicken during his US visit.
The group’s executive director James McGrory said: “If the International Trade Secretary wants the public to trust him, he needs to take the opportunity while he’s in the US and devour a chlorine-washed chicken live on camera.
“The choice of recipe is up to him, but one serving suggestion might be Chlorination Chicken.
“The proof of the chicken is in the eating and if Dr Fox thinks it’s safe, he should put his money where his mouth is. If he doesn’t, he is just chicken.”
Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said: “This just goes to show that you should never trust a Fox in your hen coop.
“We are proud of the product standards and regulations we have developed in the UK. Our health and safety and animal welfare standards are among the highest in the world.
“By arguing the case for chlorine-washed chicken, Liam Fox shows he is ready to abandon British poultry farmers in favour of cheap US imports that do not meet our sanitary or animal welfare standards.”
After the first session of the UK-US trade talks, Dr Fox said discussions had gone well, adding: “The working group will also start to lay the groundwork for potential negotiations on an ambitious free trade agreement.”
US Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, said: “We expect this working group to be a key mechanism to deepen our already strong bilateral trade and investment relationship, and to lay the groundwork for our future trade relationship once the UK has left the EU.”
David Mirzoeff/PA Wire
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