Trump’s defeat is not the end of chlorinated chicken, say trade campaigners

Trump’s defeat is not the end of chlorinated chicken, say trade campaigners

Date: 9 November 2020
Campaigns: Trade

Commenting on what Joe Biden’s victory means for the US-UK trade deal, Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now said:

“Trump’s defeat is a major setback for Boris Johnson, but this is not the end of chlorinated chicken. For Trump, a US-UK trade deal was about weakening the EU. Biden isn’t interested in that. But the US corporate interests that lay behind Trump have not gone away, and if the trade talks continue, chlorinated chicken and higher drug prices for the NHS are still in the interests of US big business, so they’re still on the table.

“What’s more, Biden has form in pushing pro-corporate trade deals. It was the Obama-Biden administration which pushed the toxic TTIP deal, an EU-US trade deal which sparked controversy across Europe. So even if Britain has gone to the back of the queue, we’re still queueing for the slaughterhouse.”

Dearden, who is the author of Trade Secrets: The truth about the US trade deal and how we can stop it, continued:

“In fact, Biden’s victory could benefit Boris Johnson if opposition to the US trade deal now melts away. The US trade deal has become a high-profile political issue in recent years, with considerable social movements on food standards and the NHS building up. If Boris Johnson can persuade the public those threats have gone away with Trump, it could be easier for a trade deal to get through. People shouldn’t be fooled.”

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