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Corbyn Slams PM Johnson's 'Toxic' Trade Deal With Trump, Vows To Make Top-Earners 'Pay Their Share'

UK Labour and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference at the InterContinental in London on Monday, with UK prime minister Boris Johnson, Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson and others delivering their own debates on the future of a post-election Britain.
Sputnik

Jeremy Corbyn on Monday slammed UK prime minister Boris Johnson for seeking a trade deal with US president Donald Trump, stating that a US-UK trade deal would cause the steel industry and others to struggle.

The "toxic deal" with President Trump would take longer, but Labour's plan would be quick, he said, adding that the NHS would be excluded from any deal and that Labour would bind that by law.

Boris Johnson's Brexit deal would also not 'get Brexit done', but would add years of negotiations, Corbyn added.

The news comes after President Trump warned Nigel Farage in an LBC radio interview that Boris Johnson's Brexit deal could block future trade deals between the UK and US, as well as blasting Corbyn for his economic policies.

Mr Trump said at the time: “Corbyn would be so bad for your country. He’d be so bad he’d take you in a such a bad way. He’d take you into such bad places.

But the opposition leader has maintained that the UK should secure a free-trade deal with the EU with a customs union, in addition to offering a 'final say' vote on whether the UK should leave with a deal with Brussels or remain in the EU, with plans to negotiate a "sensible deal" in three months of being elected, according to the party's manifesto.

Corbyn Promises New Investments if Elected

The opposition leader said that his party would get Brexit done in six month with a customs arrangement that respected the Good Friday Agreement 1998, with a further 'final say' vote on whether Brits wanted to leave the European Union.

The Labour leader slammed accusations that he and his party were "anti-business", stating it was not anti-business to demand corporations to pay their fair share of taxes as smaller enterprises.

He said: “If a Labour government is elected, you are going to see more investment than you’ve ever dreamt of. You’re going to have the best educated workforce you could ever have hoped for.

He assured businesses that they had "so much to gain from a Labour government" such as free full-fibre broadband and improved transport, but stated that Britain's top-earners would pay "their share in tax" and that Labour would end "tax tricks" for businesses refusing to contribute.

Corbyn told attendees that Labour's plan would help end uncertainty for businesses as it "won't be ripping up our main trading relationship".

Jeremy Corbyn said: “The Tories' Brexit failure has wasted three years. Labour has a clear plan to get Brexit sorted within six months.

The UK will hold snap parliamentary elections on 12 December, where the future government will decide Britain's fate amid the ongoing Brexit turmoil, after Commons blocked PM Johnson's Brexit plan and forced him to ask for a further Brexit extension from Brussels in late October. Brexit was set to take place on 29 March under former PM Theresa May, but was delayed for similar reasons, leading to her resignation in late May. Polls from YouGov and Deltapoll have both placed Conservatives at 45 percent of the vote, with Labour around 28 and 30, respectively.

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