A Labour minister admitted the UK being hit with lower US tariffs than the EU was a Brexit win during a Sky News grilling. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said he had previously “struggled” to identify any Brexit dividends.
But he acknowledged this was a “pretty big” one when pressed on Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips. US President Donald Trump slapped 10% levies on the UK and 20% on Brussels as part of sweeping taxes on goods entering America unveiled earlier this week.
Host Trevor Phillips asked: “Would you accept that Brexit has in fact protected us from the 20% tariffs being faced by the EU?”
Mr Jones replied: “We’ve been treated differently to the EU, that’s correct.”
The presenter said: “That’s a Brexit dividend?”
The Treasury minister said: “It is, there’s one. I’ve struggled to find one in the past but there is one.”
Mr Phillips pressed: “But it’s a pretty big one isn’t it?”
Mr Jones added: “Yes, it’s good. But what we’re not going to do is pick or trade off the US or the EU.
“I’ve already talked about relationship with the US, we know that’s important and works well, but so is our relationship with the EU – on trade, on energy, but increasingly on security, and I think it’s the right strategic decision for the UK, especially in this world that’s chopping and changing around, that we have those strong bridges into the European Union and into the United States, and that’s what we’re working to deliver.”