Missed Opportunity: UK-US Trade Deal Has No Free Speech or Religious Freedom Protection Clauses
Trump’s tough love tariffs have produced a massive “reciprocal” trade deal with the United Kingdom.
Anxious UK PM, Kier Starmer, was quick to the table after “Liberation Day” tariffs were announced in March.
Relieved at the deal, he said putting Britain “in front of the queue” has saved jobs.
Suggesting a bonus, he added this was also “jobs won. But not job done.”
“Our teams will continue to work to build on this agreement.”
Starmer, Farage and the UK–US Deal
Starmer, whose popularity has spectacularly dropped since coming to power 10 months ago, explained that the deal will benefit “key sectors such as car manufacturing and steel.”
Reformed UK’s Nigel Farage agreed in principle, telling the BBC, the outcome was “another benefit of Brexit.”
Although “there’s a lot more detail to come out, we’re heading in the right direction,” he said.
We have a pro-British American President in the White House.
Striking our own deal with America is another benefit of Brexit. pic.twitter.com/aGazUZ6tNp
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 8, 2025
Dubbed a Free Trade Agreement, the UK-US trade deal may help fortify Brexit.
Unpacking the agreement, the Birmingham Journal described the Trade deal as an “essential part of the UK’s post-Brexit strategy.”
“By diversifying Trade partners, the United Kingdom and US can mitigate dangers from depending too closely on the EU or different regions” – (like China).
Reading a brief on the US-UK trade deal, Trump said signing the reciprocal agreement on the 80th Anniversary of the end of WW2’s European theatre, was symbolic.
NEW: President Trump announces the United States trade deal with the UK: pic.twitter.com/oPzzT68DKJ
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 8, 2025
A White House fact sheet also cited Trump as saying,
“This is now turning out to be, really, a great deal for both countries.”
Massive Missed Opportunity: Free Speech and Religious Freedom
The Daily Wire asked if the deal requires assurances from Britain to protect free speech and religion.
The answer was no.
Howard Lutnick, Trump’s Secretary of Commerce, said,
“The deal only focuses on the economy and business.”
.@MaryMargOlohan asks whether the UK deal included any condition that the UK uphold freedom of speech and religion:
LUTNICK: That was not part of the conversation.
TRUMP: This was about business religion. Business is sort of a semi-religion, but not nearly as important. pic.twitter.com/4APf2xh1fA
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 8, 2025
Implications for Australia
Lutnick’s comments don’t bode well for Australians hoping the Trump administration will put more pressure on the Labor Government to secure protections for God-given civil liberties in Australia (see the US rebuke on Australia’s eSafety Commissioner over Billboard Chris).
With the large amount of manufacturing potential and natural resources Australia has, it remains to be seen whether or not the returning Australian Labor government can broker a similar deal.
The Labor government would have to liberate Australia from its economic dependence on Communist China, the same way Trump is fighting for America.
An unlikely scenario given Albanese’s socialist tendency to shy away from confrontations with Communists in Beijing, in spite of Canberra’s familial, well-oiled relationship with Washington.
Albanese says he wants a deal, and Trump is open to one. At least that’s what the ABC are telling us.
Even though the White House has said the UK-US trade agreement “sets the tone for other trading partners to promote reciprocal trade with the United States,” Australia is already on the back foot.
Turnbull and Rudd: Disastrous Australian ‘Advocates’
Malcolm Turnbull’s remarks about Trump being a “bully” and Kevin Rudd’s mockery of the President’s tariffs have made any Australian trade delegations’ job a lot harder.
The two former defeated Prime Ministers apparently still think they run the ship.
Their recent “hate Trump, because love trumps hate” howls may sink any trade options aimed at benefiting both countries.
Like Malcolm Turnbull’s recent remarks, Kevin07’s smug, unsolicited public criticisms of the US president will – if they haven’t already – sour any tariff resolving diplomacy.
Despite Rudd deleting rants calling the US president a “traitor, a threat to democracy, and destructive”, Trump doesn’t forget.
When it comes to US-Australia relations, Turnbull’s narcissistic interference is a nuisance; Rudd’s arrogant hypocrisy, though, is catastrophic.
Rudd’s views linger. Additionally, Rudd still has Albanese’s full backing.
Based on the rhetoric and the optics, Trump would naturally be wary.
With Turnbull heckling from the sidelines and Rudd firing verbal abuse from his cushy position as Ambassador, Trump would logically assume the Australian Labor Party thinks the same way.
Consequently, Albanese, who once said Trump “scares the s*** out of him,” has little chance of scoring for Australia, anywhere close to the deal the UK just struck with the US.
___
Originally published at Caldron Pool. Image via Wikimedia Commons.
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Rod, thank you. The rhetoric regarding freedoms was most welcome ahead of the tariff scare. I think that even if there is no ‘demand’ for freedom in any forthcoming deal, Australians have still got the message and the Left is duly on notice.
Business was prioritised ahead of Freedom of Speech and Protection of Christianity and Judaism . We can expect the same for Australia.Please lobby President Trump personally .I will.Starmer is in my opinion , the Biggest heap of rubbish !