Recently, the United Kingdom signed two “free trade deals” with India and the United States. Adam Smith and David Ricardo would justifiably take issue with the label of free trade because these deals have not established what the term refers to in the classical liberal framework. Instead, these deals have lowered tariffs significantly on certain goods and services but not to zero barriers. The Labour Party is parading these agreements as a huge win, a victory amidst all the negativity. But in doing so, they expose their inconsistency on economic matters. The trade deals cut tariffs on goods...
