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Dr Fox, the UK’s International Trade Secretary, today played down suggestions a potential US-UK free trade deal could hinge on whether the UK would lift a current EU ban on chorine-washed chicken. He said the controversial issue would be taken at the “very end stage” of negotiations as he condemned media “obsession” with the subject. Dr Fox may have dismissed the subject as media hype, however chlorine-washed chickens have proved a frequent stumbling block in EU-US deals since the method was introduced in 1997, with the US saying it kills bugs and salmonella.

Getty•Express Jacob Rees-Mogg said British consumers should have a choice

Global trade experts, including Ben Southwood, head of research at leading free trade think tank the Adam Smith Institute, said to make use of being free of the shackles of the EU, concessions need to be made. He said: “If we want a quick and profitable deal with the US, we need to put chlorine-washed chicken on the table.” Conservative MP Mr Rees-Mogg agreed and said the British public should be given more credit and should be allowed to choose whether they want to buy chlorine-washed chicken or not.

The real Jacob Rees-Mogg Wed, February 8, 2017 Jacob Rees-Mogg is one of the biggest characters in the Tory party. Known for his RP diction, humorous speeches and staunchly pro-Brexit views, the MP for Northeast Somerset is firmly in the public eye Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 12 Jacob Rees-Mogg poses as he delivers a petition against the provision of foreign aid at 10 Downing Street in London

The North East Somerset MP said the method was a big sticking point when New Zealand was negotiating a trade deal with the US. He exclusively told Express.co.uk: “I read a report about New Zealand on the contentious issue of chlorine in chickens, when they were doing a trade deal with the US. “What they said was there has been no example of any illness to anybody who has ever eaten chicken that has had a chlorine wash. “The only people who had been affected by the chlorine were the inspectors who had been around seeing how the chlorine was applied. “They got too much chlorine and felt a little bit under the weather, queasy!”

He said when the UK is free of EU rules and regulations it will be free to set its own standards. Mr Rees-Mogg, said: “We’re completely entitled to set the standards we want, and we may want to import Australian beef rather than American beef. “But America is the most litigious country in the world.

Getty A UK-US trade deal could hinge on chicken

“The idea that America deliberately poisons its own population is absurd and it’s actually code protectionism. “Critics are saying we mustn’t let the British people to buy American chickens because it’s got chlorine in it. “Well, why not let the British people decide for themselves.

Getty Liam Fox refused to comment on speculation over chlorine chicken