With a little delay on the Europeans, the United Kingdom begins in its turn to worry about the American protectionist measures.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides 369 billion dollars in subsidies for American automotive or energy manufacturers to promote the green transition.
The law, which is due to come into effect on January 1, excludes foreign competitors from aid of 7,500 dollars for an electric vehicle, which poses a risk to their competitiveness.
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While British Conservative government officials have refrained from making any public statement on the issue, Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch has written to her US counterpart, Katherine Tai.
The US measures
'undermine trade and investment flows between the UK and the US, and our reliable supply chains',
as do
'our common goals of promoting free and fair trade',
writes the British official in her missive, quoted by the
Times
.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is supposed to raise the subject with US President Joe Biden.
Isolation
Emmanuel Macron tackled it head-on with him during his state visit to Washington earlier this month.
The French and German economy ministers are due to go there in early January.
If the United Kingdom belatedly adds its voice to the chorus of European concerns, this episode underlines its post-Brexit isolation.
The break with the European Union was to be compensated by an ambitious free trade agreement with Washington.
Alas, after empty promises from Donald Trump, Joe Biden does not want to hear about it.