US Steel and Aluminium Tariffs

Lord Liddle Excerpts
Wednesday 12th March 2025

(2 weeks, 3 days ago)

Lords Chamber
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Baroness Jones of Whitchurch Portrait Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)
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The noble Lord makes an important point about our commitment to free trade. The Prime Minister has made our position absolutely clear on this matter. I am sure there are lessons from history that we can learn on all of this. We will continue to promote our policy of free trade and encourage new agreements wherever it is in our interest.

Lord Liddle Portrait Lord Liddle (Lab)
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Does my noble friend agree that there is very little prospect of a comprehensive free trade agreement with the United States because of its stance on agricultural products, which we could not possibly accept? However, there is a real possibility of an agreement on high technology, and that is what we should aim for.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch Portrait Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)
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My noble friend is absolutely right that we are continuing to discuss with the US the possibility of a trade deal. In the economic and tech sectors, there is the possibility of agreements on the basis of mutual interest. Those discussions are ongoing, and I hope to update the House on them in due course.