Fox and the chicken

US President Donald Trump tweeted today: “Working on major Trade Deal with the United Kingdom. Could be very big & exciting. JOBS! The E.U. is very protectionist with the U.S. STOP!”

UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, was in the US earlier this week and met US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. In a joint press release both sides committed to strengthen economic ties between the UK and the US, including a discussion about the possibility of laying the groundwork for a potential new trade agreement soon after Brexit.

Trump has repeatedly said that the US will only sign trade agreements that will benefit American workers and keep jobs in the US. A newly established US/UK working group set up by the UK Department of International Trade found more than 700,000 US jobs were supported by exports to the UK in 2015.

By leaving the European Union (EU) the UK is no longer obliged to accept EU regulations and can set its own standards. During his talks in the US, Fox mentioned that in a future UK-US trade deal, the UK could accept importing chlorine-washed poultry from the US, which is currently banned in the EU.

Both sides express strong interest to seal a bilateral trade deal once the UK has left the EU, however negotiations are expected to last for several years. Controversial issues such as chlorinated chicken will not make it easier.