Sock it to them! In Brexit war Boris Johnson hilariously reveals where the real battlefield lies
He is the third occupant of 10 Downing Street struggling to make Brexit a success. But inbetween fighting the big war, British PM Boris Johnson has found the time to battle for sock traders. Yes, it might sound trivial but the PM has now put his foot in it (pardon the pun). However, his nationalistic zeal has earned the UK premier ridicule on home turf from the very sock manufacturers he was championing.
Johnson on Sunday (September 22) night vowed to take on American President Donald Trump over what he called trade restrictions imposed on socks manufactured in the UK as part of a post-Brexit deal. Speaking to the media as he flew to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Johnson said he would speak with Trump about the matter when he meets him on Tuesday, September 24.
'Fire-testing the socks twice'
“If you try to sell British socks in North America, they currently attract a 19 per cent tariff and the Americans insist before they allow British socks to be sold on the US market, that they must try to set fire to them twice. And I will make this point to President Trump,” the 55-year-old said.
Before Trump or the US addressed the issue, sock makers from the UK questioned Johnson and cast suspicion on his facts. Leading British sock firm Corgi Socks told POLITICO that regulations in the US do not create a hurdle for their business.
“We are at the upper end of the sock market and have a good US business,” said Chris Jones, Corgi’s managing director who is hopeful about a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. “Duty tariffs [with the U.S.] are a bit of a barrier, regulations are not. We have no problem with regulations selling in the US,” he added. Around 20 per cent of Corgi’s production is exported to the US.
Jones also expressed surprise over Johnson’s claim about the socks being fire-tested twice. He told Politico that the US would probably have strict rules on products coming in to make sure they meet certain standards. He believed Johnson was referring to strict American regulations but used a bad example without giving it much thought.
Rueven Fletcher, who owns Sock Council, a UK retailer that calls itself “connoisseurs of fine hosiery” and “a membership organization that celebrates good socks”, was more brutal on Johnson, telling Politico “if it comes out of Johnson’s mouth it’s likely not to be true”.
US, UK eye quick trade deal but Johnson knows there will be challenges
Johnson has his eyes set on making a deal with the US once the UK goes out of the European Union. He said, following his meeting with Trump at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France in August that the American president wanted to strike trade deal with the UK by the summer of 2020. Johnson said while he would be happy to see a quick deal taking shape between the trans-Atlantic allies, he acknowledged that there would be significant challenges to overcome and that the US would have to make compromises.