http://news.independent.co.uk/business/comment/story.jsp?story=464797


The Confederation of British Industry national conference was all in a ferment yesterday over the possibility of a trade war with the US and a tit for tat of protectionist measures on both sides of the Atlantic. Digby Jones, the director-general, mischievously stirred the pot by saying he knew of a number of US multinationals that had been offered incentives to relocate British jobs back to the US. Only he wouldn't say which ones.



It all makes for a good headline from what's turning out to be the usual dull old mix of whingeing and lecturing from those of Britain's business leaders who can be bothered to turn up. But truth it almost certainly ain't. President George Bush is widely expected to use his visit to Britain this week formally to abandon the steel tariffs, which are the root cause of complaint. The tariffs have for long been an acute source of embarrassment to John Snow, the US Treasury Secretary, a free trader by instinct who inherited the policy. Mr Snow will be at the CBI conference today, and he'd make the announcement himself were it not Mr Bush's perogative.