Kemi Badenoch in conflict with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg over US commerce deal | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Kemi Badenoch urged Labour to “pick up where we left off” on negotiating a US commerce deal. The Conservative chief mentioned the earlier Tory authorities had six rounds of negotiations with America in 2020 throughout an interview on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.

She was pressed by host Laura Kuenssberg on her earlier feedback that the deal was “oven ready”. Ms Kuenssberg mentioned: “You’re saying this deal was oven ready…”

Mrs Badenoch replied: “What I’ve said was we had been negotiating. We had six rounds of negotiations and we had gone a considerable amount of the way. I have said pick up where we left off, not pick up a deal that was done.”

The presenter added: “You said in November an oven ready deal negotiated by the last government could be dusted down, you said that again recently in the Commons.

“I simply need to be clear, are you saying there was a deal and that is the deal that needs to be signed now, or are you saying you’d just like the Government to get on with it utilizing that as a foundation?”

Mrs Badenoch said: “I would really like the Government to choose up the place we left off.

“We had six rounds of negotiations where there were some decisions that were concluded, and they can pick that up and take it.

“But crucial factor is eradicating tariffs. The tariffs are going to be harmful for our companies.”

It comes as US President Donald Trump earlier this week unveiled sweeping international tariffs on imports to America, together with a ten% levy on the UK.