Labour has rightly warned that Tory plans for ten free ports amount to nothing "more than levelling up for the super-rich to hoard assets and avoid taxes" (Star, 11/02/20). Liz Truss might think that it represents "taking back control of our trade policy", but as she and fellow cabinet ministers Raab and Patel think British workers "among the biggest idlers in the world", something they co-wrote in Britannia Unchained back in 2012, her opinions are not to be taken seriously.
Neither, for that matter, are the views of the chief secretary to the Treasury, Rishi Sunak. It was he who claimed that as free ports are not allowed in the EU, Brexit enabled the UK "to unleash this potential in our ports". Unfortunately for him, on the same day the European Commission announced that the EU`s free ports, all 82 of them, were "aiding the financing of terrorism, money-laundering and crime"! Since January 10th, authorities across the EU have been urged to take extra measures to identify suspicious activities at the ports as a result of the "high incidence of corruption, tax evasion and criminal activity"!
How anyone can take seriously any promises made by Johnson and his cronies in government is beyond me. Does anyone really believe that if these free ports are set up in the UK, standards on "security, safety, workers` rights and the environment" will not be compromised? They conned the electorate and they will continue the con-trick of pretending to support one nation Conservatism, and to help the left behind. The forthcoming budget will no doubt reduce some pension tax relief for the wealthy which will make the headlines in the media, but the government will still be selling shares in RBS at knockdown prices to appease their friends in the City, and still be doing nothing to prevent billions being lost every year to tax avoiders!.
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