Tory indecision over chlorinated chicken creates a nugget of joy for Labour
It’s hardly encouraging when your government can’t make up its mind over a hefty chunk of a planned trade deal.
Former Tory Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said the UK would not buy chlorinated chicken from the United States as part of any trade deal, as it would run contrary to EU rules that have now been absorbed into the UK’s legal framework.
But new Environment Secretary George Eustace, challenged over this by Andrew Marr, said – well, see for yourself:
#Marr asks George Eustice about UK food standards post-#Brexit
The Environment Secretary says "there’s a discussion to be had" about chicken washed in lactic acidhttps://t.co/J772G3dOhQ pic.twitter.com/8oxIzNuj6M
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 23, 2020
Labour took advantage of the confusion at once:
British farmers pride themselves on high levels of animal welfare and environmental protections. So why won’t Ministers put into law a ban on any post-Brexit trade deal food imports from the US that are produced to lower welfare and environmental standards?
Chlorinated chicken being sold in Britain is a genuine risk, unless this backdoor to lower standard US goods imports is closed and a ban is put into law. It’s not just Labour saying this, there is a chorus of voices from the NFU to the RSPCA and who all want legal guarantees British farm standards won’t be undercut.
The Canary has suggested the Tories’ unclear position may be the thin end of a trading wedge, leading to possible sales of anything including the NHS – and we’ve already seen that a deal to upgrade Trident nuclear weapons seems already to have been agreed, without being put before Parliament.
Concerned citizens must remain vigilant. If the Tories try to sell us out, we need to create an outcry.
Source: Labour hits back over Tory chlorinated chicken claims on Marr | The Canary
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It looks like Boris hasn’t got Brexit “done” at all.
Whoever suspected that (apart from millions of people!)