I would like to share with your readers my continuing conversation, about the proposed US-UK Trade Deal, with Mr Dean Russell, our Watford MP.

In summary, he is living in cloud cuckoo land, if he thinks that a US trade deal will be our salvation. The US will always look after “America first”. This is particularly true under the current President.

The US market is many times smaller than the EU market. The EU, taken as a whole is the UK’s largest trading partner. In 2019, UK exports to the EU were £300 billion, and imports were £372 billion. Whereas, UK exports to the US were only £55 billion and imports were only £50 billion.

We will be letting in US car imports with lower safety standards, allowing international investors sweeping powers to overrule national parliaments, UK farming will become unprofitable, 10 times as many people will get food poisoning, and we will pay billions more for drugs.

Further, Free Trade Agreements, which Mr Russell is very keen on, will be responsible for increased job outsourcing, with the consequent loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in this country. Emerging market countries, where the outsourcing will occur, will have inadequate labour protection and Natural Resources will suffer degradation.

But of course, as he says, there is Japan, which has given the UK six weeks to agree a deal and will, no doubt, turn the screws on Boris Johnson, with increasing demands.

Our MP should have no fear that he will not be forgiven, by his Watford constituents at the next general election, for his unquestioning obedience to the Government’s every absurd demand, whilst leaving his constituents impoverished.

John Maguire

Rickmansworth Road, Watford