What Joe Biden presidency means for Yorkshire – Hannah Robinson

In the race for control over both houses, it was tighter. The Democrats retained their majority in the House of Representatives, but did not impress, and the Senate will be decided by run-off elections in January.

The eventual result of this will determine Biden’s presidency, and his ability to pass key legislation. Nonetheless, in terms of US-UK relations, some consequences can be predicted, including for the region of Yorkshire.Brexit: A no-deal Brexit would have significant effects for businesses and employment across Yorkshire. Failing to reach an agreement would hit Britain’s economy three times harder in the long term than coronavirus. Shortages of fresh food and medicine are a possibility.

UK regions most exposed to a no-deal Brexit are those most deprived. Manufacturing health check shows exporters in Wales, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber as the most vulnerable.

Yorkshire is one of the regions of the UK with significant exposure to trade with the EU, and would likely suffer a painful impact to the economy and jobs from a no-deal Brexit.

Biden is not a fan of Brexit. He has Irish heritage and cares deeply about the peace process in Northern Ireland. If the UK was to jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement with a no-deal Brexit, a US trade deal would be off the cards.

Johnson is now in a lonelier position internationally and would face problems in terms of future relations with Washington if he pursues a no-deal. He has already begun to tone down his threats.

Trade: The idea of a no rules-based order is undermined with Donald Trump leaving office. Biden will spend the first year or two reinstating the US in international bodies, including the World Trade Organisation. It is likely that a US-UK trade deal will be delayed, as it will not be on top of Biden’s list of priorities.

A trade deal often takes years to form, so a trans-Atlantic deal may not even arrive in time before the next election. This means that a wide range of consequences for food standards, environmental standards, welfare and the NHS remain up in the air.

Again, this would pressure the UK government to reach a deal with the EU, one which would make a big difference to the region of Yorkshire.

Climate Change: Getting rid of a climate change denier from the world’s largest carbon emitter is clearly a good thing for the region of Yorkshire, a region vulnerable to climate change.

The impact of climate change in Yorkshire was shown this year during the floods, which will only increase. Flooding, heatwaves, storm damage and drought are likely to increase, as well as growing pressure on water supply.

The US will rejoin the Paris Agreement under Joe Biden, although he may face challenges passing the necessary reforms in the Senate to decarbonise the economy. Further, he may not be bold enough in standing up to corporate finance with a Green New Deal, which the left of his party is pushing for.

Facing political isolation, Johnson is now trying to woo Biden with climate credentials. But Johnson’s pro-market ideology is at odds with the investment and changes required to meaningfully tackle climate change. Unless accompanied by action and the necessary spending, his promises to ‘Build Back Better’ are only greenwashing.

Perhaps international pressure from a more climate- friendly US president will encourage change at a global level, but this remains to be seen.

Far right politics and populism: Although Trump 
still received over 70 million votes, his brand of right-wing populism lost support due to his careless handling of the pandemic. This should be a warning to the UK government to rectify their own chaotic response to the pandemic – which Yorkshire has suffered painfully from both health wise and economically.

As in America in the ‘rust belt’ states, Conservative votes may be lost in the region of Yorkshire if the Government does not produce the investment which was promised at the election.

The pandemic has highlighted regional inequalities and the Government’s prioritisation of the South. They have done little to amend this, and as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, highlighted, notions of ‘level up’ have proved groundless.

Hannah Robinson comes from West Yorkshire and is based in Belgium. She is a freelance writer on political and social issues.

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