Farage: EU 'running scared' over US trade deal

Nigel Farage has accused EU members of "running scared" after the European Parliament decided to scrap a debate to discuss a controversial trade deal with the US at the last minute.

MEPs voted to postpone today's debate over the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal after it was announced that more than 200 amendments had been made to the proposal and needed to be considered by the committee on international trade.

The UKIP leader questioned the reason for the postponement and accused EU members of running from "public disquiet". He tweeted:

The TTIP deal has previously received criticism from MPs who warned it could weaken European and UK regulation in areas including genetically modified crops, chemicals in cosmetics and meat treated with growth hormones, as a result of efforts to align standards between laxer US rules and the EU.