Britain's battered industrial base could be “hollowed out” by a trade deal between the European Union and the US, Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards warned Parliament yesterday.

Mr Edwards expressed grave concerns that the deal will mean bigger profits for US businesses and cuts to jobs and wages on this side of the Atlantic in a “Marxist critique” of the deal.

He explained that the fracking boom in the US will allow its government to offer industry energy subsidies — lowering their production costs and giving them an advantage in the market.