What Johnson’s deal means for workers’ rights, the NHS and the economy
Why are workers’ rights at stake in Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal?
The Prime Minister’s renegotiation of the Brexit deal is opening up the way to a looser relationship with the EU than Theresa May once wanted. Instead of writing into the withdrawal agreement which the UK is to abide by EU standards on worker’s rights and environment, the new deal shows that commitments have been shifted to be more politically inclined.
It will be up to the government to negotiate a free trade deal after the general election to see how stringent a commitment to EU rules Britain can make.
What promises is the government making to protect workers’ rights?
Labor rights like other regulations will no longer be under EU rules. On Friday, the government announced that ministers would have to make a statement any time that a new labor law or law affecting the employees is put into place and mention whether or not it adheres to EU standards.
The government would also mirror all changes made to the EU’s labor laws. Votes will be taken prior to this and approval will be saught. Ministers pointed out that the government had announced employment reform in the Queen’s speech which will increase the standards and not dilute them.
Laura Pidcock, the Labour’s employment rights spokesperson, said that these were not trustworthy narratives. Johnson has been stressing that while environment standards of the EU will not be granted after Brexit, but the UK will continue to set higher standards via an environment bill.
What else might be up for grabs in future trade deals?
The labor feels that the NHS may be subject to exploitation by US corporations as part of trade deals with Trump. Johnson denies this. When he flew to the G7 summit in Biarritz this August, Johnson spoke of trade barriers that faced British businesses and his need to export to the US. He did not, however, know what to offer to Trump whose governance consists of putting America first. The PM has insisted that all NHS contracts will not be part of any deals and that hospital funding will be of prime importance in his election campaign.
What economic assessment has the government done of the impact of Boris Johnson’s deal?
No economic assessment has taken place so far. The Liberal Democrat Luciana Berger challenged the non-publication of economic forecasts and said that no analysis may lead to change her level of confidence in the deal. Steve Barclay has said that changing policies to mirror the EU will be difficult.
Johnson’s deal could reduce the GDP per capita by 2.3 – 7% over the coming 10 years as compared to the EU. Theresa May’s deal only estimated a loss of 1.9 – 5.5%. Johnson’s deal may also hit the public finance sector from 16billion pounds to 49billion pounds.
