UK manufacturers sound alarm on flood of imports

British manufacturers in the United Kingdom have expressed their concern that the United Kingdom could find itself flooded with cheap and poor-quality imported products if the country is forced into accepting United States standards as part of any potential free trade agreement.

The prospect of a deal with the US has long been one of the mainstays of the Brexit argument, and the country now finds itself in the position of trying to conduct negotiations over a Brexit deal with the European Union at the same time as hoping to secure a deal with Washington before November.

A letter signed by the British Standards Institution, the British Chambers of Commerce and national manufacturing umbrella group, Make UK, has been sent to British Minister for Trade Policy Greg Hands, warning of the impact an influx of imports would have on UK businesses.

The signatories are concerned that British companies could end up having to run two separate systems, with the ensuing extra burden of cost, or submitting to US demands, making a mockery of the Brexit mantra of taking back control.

If the US repeats its behavior in trade deals with Mexico and Canada and takes an aggressive attitude toward exports, the letter says a deal could have the potential "to permit US businesses to bring legal challenges against the prioritizing of UK standards in critical areas such as the safety of PPE (personal protective equipment) or children's toys".

"The US are insisting that we sign up to their standards, but then they will use the courts to make their standards a priority over our own," added Stephen Phipson, head of Make UK. "That gives them a competitive advantage."

A spokesperson from the Department for International Trade called the British Standards Institution's concerns "utter speculation", saying "UK regulation is a matter for the UK government".

The letter came in the same week that Japan gave Britain a six-week deadline to negotiate its first independent trade deal in more than four decades, but British International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the UK will not be pressurized into accepting any bad deals.