The UK “would be in trouble” if it was to agree a trade deal with the US at the expense of China, a former spy chief has claimed.
Nigel Inkster, the former deputy head of MI6, issued the warning after White House officials said they believe a trade deal with the UK could be agreed “within three weeks”, according to the Telegraph.
The UK is hoping a deal can help stave off the full brunt of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping 10% tariffs on all goods imported to the US.
But Mr Inkster said a US-UK deal could negatively impact Britain’s relationship with China, which is a “critical supplier” of pharmaceuticals in both the UK and the US.
Mr Inkster told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If it were the case that we had such a deal, I think it would come with strings, and one of those strings would be an expectation that the UK would get with the programme when it came to China.
“We’ve seen a precursor of this with the Huawei 5G saga, which the Americans said, you cannot use a Chinese company to build the 5G.
“What needs to happen is that the Government needs to look much more carefully at what constitutes critical national infrastructure, and consider what the risks are in any given sector.
“And one of the areas here that worries me quite a lot is the whole pharmaceutical sector, because China is a critical supplier of many pharmaceutical products. Without them, we would be in trouble.”
Pharmaceuticals are said to be a heated part of discussions between British and American negotiators, amid Mr Trump’s plans to begin imposing tariffs on medicines.
Asked if the Chinese government could switch off the supply of vital pharmaceuticals in case of a future dispute, Mr Inkster said: “It would be an incredibly powerful lever. China has, I think, a fairly clear track record of readiness to use economic coercion.”
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Ministers have sought to strike a warm relationship with China since Labour came to power last summer, in a bid to encourage Chinese inward investment.
But the Government’s decision to take control of British Steel from Chinese owner Jingye has led to fresh questions from hawkish MPs about the influence of Beijing in UK businesses seen as critical to the nation’s security.
Chinese officials have in recent days warned the UK against taking further action which could discourage the nation’s businesses from investing or trading in Britain.
Kemi Badenoch, however, said she believes the Government might be “too close” to China.
Speaking to the PA news agency in Cambridgeshire, the Conservative leader said: “I worry that this current government is too close to it.
“I think (trade minister) Douglas Alexander has been out there trying to get, you know, investment on green tech at a time when we’re trying to get China out of steel, for example, and out of critical national infrastructure.
“So they need a proper plan and a proper strategy. Right now, they don’t have one.”