'Post-Brexit trade deal risks erosion of UK workers' rights'

LONDON: Britain's post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union (EU) leaves workers' rights and environmental protection at risk of erosion and will slow the country's economic recovery, which has already been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, a British think tank warned in an analysis.

The agreement offers clear benefits to Britain and the EU, which would have been lost if no deal had been negotiated, however, its commitments on labour and environmental standards are considerably weaker than expected, said the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a London-based think tank, on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Published its assessment on Sunday, the IPPR said the bar for proof of breaches of the "level playing field", one of the sticking points in the long Britain-EU negotiations, to safeguard the issues is so high that it will be rarely enforced. In aiming for an agreement which guarantees maximal sovereignty, the British government has watered down the "level playing field" requirements on areas such as labour and environmental protections and secured only limited benefits in market access, said the think tank.

"In the short-term, this is likely to lead to disruption to trade flows, including at the border. Over the longer term, the economy will adapt to the new arrangements, but barriers to UK-EU trade will likely lead to slower growth and a more prolonged economic recovery," the IPPR added in Sunday's assessment. (IANS)

Also Read: Post-Brexit trade deal by UK & European Union (EU)

Also Watch: Christmas celebrated in Langching, Manipur