(1/9) After 18 votes & 20 hours of scrutiny in the #TradeBill Comittee stage it’s clear @trussliz & her Ministers want to minimise the scrutiny of Trade Agreements. .@EmilyThornberry .@Bill_Esterson .@charlotte2153 .@PutneyFleur .@MattWestern_
(2/9) Ministers have ditched commitments to give Select Committees access to negotiators & critical information in order to stay "studiously vague" as one witness put it.
(3/9) There are now real concerns a number of key ‘continuity’ trade agreements notably Japan, Canada & Turkey won’t be in place by 31st December putting at risk vital export orders, jobs & businesses.
(4/9) If we can’t complete a Trade Agreement with Canada; one of our oldest & closest allies; with whom we share the same Queen it does make you wonder what is going on.
(5/9) We still haven’t concluded a Trade Agreement with Andorra! (which only has a population of 77,000)
(6/9) Other significant trade agreements are incomplete with access to markets in services not resolved (eg: with Norway & Switzerland) & access for some agricultural products to South Korea at risk.
(7/9) Government Ministers have failed to listen to Labour’s arguments for the rights of the devolved administrations to be consulted on future trade deals which will have a potentially huge Impact on their economies.
(8/9) Government Ministers are refusing to put into law important safeguards to protect our NHS from increased Medicine costs, further privatisation and attacks from huge multi-nationals through ISDS.
(9/9) Government Ministers have refused to put into law important standards to protect us from the lowering of our pesticide standards, chlorinated chicken & lower quality food.
