McDonnell slams chancellor for “showing his hand” over City priorities
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has slammed his government counterpart for “showing his hand” over priorities for the City in Brexit negotiations.
The Labour front bencher attacked Philip Hammond for the speech he gave in Canary Wharf yesterday, saying it showed that his priority was to protect financial services, rather than getting a good deal for every sector.
The speech, which was designed to specifically address the ongoing concerns over whether financial services will be included in a deal, came under particular criticism for its reference to the EU-US trade deal TTIP, which he railed against.
McDonnell stressed “we recognise the importance of financial services”, but said the time for “special treatment is over”.
A Brexit deal “has to work for the people who create wealth, not just those who accumulate wealth” he added.