(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. is worried about “protectionism” and how it always “ends badly” and about being caught in the “crossfire of a much larger dispute.” The spat is the one between Boeing Co. and Bombardier Inc. and it could get in the way of a British free-trade deal with the U.S.
“This is basically a U.S.-Canada dispute really, between Boeing and Bombardier: It's much best if it's settled with those,” International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said in a panel discussion on the sidelines of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, northern England, on Sunday. Fox added that he doesn't believe U.K. was in breach of state-aid rules.
Fox's approach to the whole situation is in stark contrast to that of his boss, Prime Minister Theresa May, who last week issued a veiled threat to Boeing by implying that the U.K. might reconsider its military contracts with the aircraft maker. His advice is to be diplomatic.
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"If we can get them to have a resolution which is what we are trying to do quietly, behind the scenes, then so much the better,” he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in Manchester, England at amorales2@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Eddie Buckle
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