Shadow paymaster general Richard Holden says he hopes US trade tariffs can be avoided as the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer holds trade negotiations with the European Union.
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00:00I hope that we can avoid those tariffs. I don't want to see tariffs there.
00:04Obviously there's situations where they are necessary, where there's unfair or
00:08unbalanced activity within the global economy, but I do think that it's
00:12right that we do everything we can to avoid tariffs, damaging tariffs for the
00:17UK. I want to see us, with good trading relationships right around the world, I
00:22want us to see more free trade agreements with other countries. That's
00:25exactly what Brexit allows us to do. It allows us to have those free
00:30trade agreements. Something that the EU and the US have never been able
00:34to get is a free trade agreement. We should be able to get free trade
00:38agreements with the US just like we've got with the EU. I mean we all know that
00:41Keir Starmer didn't just fight for remain but actually tried to rejoin the
00:47EU with a second referendum down the line. I'm really worried about what Keir
00:52Starmer is prepared to give away. I don't think he ever wanted to leave. I
00:56don't think he ever wanted Brexit to be a success. Now we've left the European
00:59Union despite the fact that it really does provide us with some new
01:02international opportunities like being able to make free trade deals with other
01:06countries around the world. I worry about what Keir Starmer would give up in
01:11terms of our newly acquired fishing rights, around immigration as well. These
01:16are big issues and I want us to have a good trading relationship with the
01:20European Union of course but also to look out into the world about what
01:24opportunities are out there. We've already got a free trade agreement with
01:27the European Union. Let's go and get one with America. Let's restart those talks
01:31because that's what President Trump's already indicated he'd like to do. I'm all in
01:35favour of making progress wherever we possibly can. I think the real issue
01:38though is we've got a free trade agreement already with the European
01:41Union. We don't know what Starmer's prepared to trade away. I think this is
01:45ideological for Keir Starmer rather than actually practical for Britain.
01:50That's my big concern there but it's quite clear to me when we're looking at
01:53the economies which are growing around the world, the EU as a share of global
01:56trade has halved in the last 30 years. Other countries have rapidly expanded
02:01and I think we should be looking to the areas of growth. I think one of the
02:05biggest issues we've got in the UK at the moment is around the economy. We've
02:08seen Rachel Reeves crash the economy with their jobs tax, with taxes on
02:12businesses, with taxes on farmers, with cutting away support for pensioners. I
02:16want us to be focused on growing the economy and growing jobs. I don't think
02:21that is trying to renegotiate something with the EU. I think that's about getting
02:25new agreements around the world.