The Labour chairs of the foreign and trade committees have called for parliament to have a vote on any UK trade deal with the United States.
Emily Thornberry, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, and Liam Byrne, who chairs the business and trade committee, said MPs should have a say on the deal ministers are hoping to strike with Donald Trump.
The government is hopeful of finalising an agreement that would exempt the UK from some of Trump’s most punishing tariffs, including on cars and pharmaceuticals, after positive signals from Washington.
Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Wednesday said the US would be announcing its first deals “very soon” and the vice-president, JD Vance, said this week there was a “good chance” of the US agreeing one with the UK.
But ministers have offered controversial concessions, including slashing the digital services tax on US tech giants and reviewing the enforcement of online safety laws, as part of their negotiations.
Byrne said: “The new US-UK agreement may not be a full-blown free trade agreement, but it will still be a treaty of strategic consequence. Its provisions could touch sensitive areas of domestic policy – even legislation like the Online Safety Act.
“Some may see such a deal as a means for economic alignment; others may raise the spectre of economic coercion.
“In light of its significance, its controversy and its speed, it would be both reasonable and responsible for parliament to have its say. Our democratic institutions deserve no less.”
Thornberry said: “Since Brexit we have had responsibility for our own trade policy. Some trade deals can have a profound effect on Britain and yet parliament does not have the automatic right to vote on them. This is a huge hole in our democratic system and I have long campaigned to change this.”
The Liberal Democrats have also called for a vote and warned that avoiding one would be “deeply undemocratic”.
Ed Davey, the party’s leader, said: “Trump is an unreliable partner who breaks deals whenever he feels like it. He and his sidekick JD Vance must not be allowed to bully their way into a bad trade deal for the UK.”
In 2021, Labour called on the Conservative government to give MPs a vote on its proposed trade deal with Australia because of its implications for farmers and food standards. Ministers have insisted they are sticking by their manifesto commitment not to compromise food safety standards in their talks with the US.
There are fears that Washington could seek to exact further concessions from the UK, including by pressuring ministers to stop pursuing closer economic ties with China.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s administration planned to use ongoing tariff negotiations to pressure countries to limit their dealings with Beijing, and had already broached the subject in some of their talks. Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that “we don’t like the China influence”.
Besides the UK, the countries thought to be close to agreeing trade deals with the US are Australia, India, Japan and South Korea.
The Guardian reported that Jonathan Reynolds, the trade secretary, is due to travel to Beijing later this year to revive a trade dialogue that has not taken place since 2018. Douglas Alexander, a trade minister, is the latest government minister to have visited the country for talks last week.
The Lib Dems wrote to David Lammy, the foreign secretary, on Wednesday arguing that ministers should stop making official visits to China until its government explained why Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse was denied entry to Hong Kong last week.
