3m ago
09.20 BST
Reynolds
rejects claim prosecution of anti-abortion campaigners in UK could block trade
deal with US
This
morning the Daily Telegraph has splashed on a story claiming that the
prosecution of an anti-abortion campaigner in the UK could be an obstacle to a
trade/tariff deal with the US. The paper reports:
In a
highly unusual step on Sunday night, the US state department issued a statement
saying it was “concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom” in
relation to the case of an anti-abortion campaigner.
It said
it was “monitoring” the case of Livia Tossici-Bolt, who was prosecuted for
holding a sign near a Bournemouth abortion clinic reading: “Here to talk if you
want.”
A verdict
in the case is due on Friday …
Asked
about the comments, a source familiar with trade negotiations told The
Telegraph there should be “no free trade without free speech”, a stance thought
to have become a point of contention between the two nations.
Asked
about the story in his interviews this morning, Jonathan Reynolds, the business
secretary, said this was not an issue that had been raised with him in his
talks with the Trump administration about a trade deal, which could be linked
to potential tariff exemptions. He told Times Radio:
Obviously,
there are things from different people in the administration that they’ve said
in the past about this, but it’s not been part of the trade negotiations that
I’ve been part of.
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