Key Facts

• Tom West works for ClientEarth, an environmental law NGO.
• David Lawrence is a senior political advisor at the Trade Justice Movement representing 60 NGOs, faith groups, and trade unions.
• The session focuses on parliamentary scrutiny of trade agreements and concerns about upholding environmental standards.
• The UK uses an archaic form of treaty scrutiny dating back to World War I.
• Trade agreements cover policy areas such as food standards, environmental regulations, NHS prices, and digital services.
• Public procurement concerns include democratic processes and maintaining high standards.
• Greener UK is a coalition of environmental organisations.
• The Aarhus Convention 1998 mandates public participation in environmental policy design.
• US negotiators cited an Act of Congress as preventing climate references in negotiations.
• The Trade Bill lacks provisions for maintaining current import standards.
• There are over 1,300 chemicals banned in cosmetics use in the UK but allowed in the US.
• Concerns exist around public services provision, digital services regulations, health and food standards, and investor protection in potential trade deals.
• Sam Lowe is a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
• The session is part of an oral evidence hearing on the Trade Bill.
• Judith Cummins chairs the session until 12:35 pm.
• The Trade Bill covers continuity agreements with third countries, including Chile, Jordan, Singapore, Vietnam, Israel, Lebanon, Faroe Islands, South Korea stage 1, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Japan, and Canada.
• Some of the agreements covered by the Bill have already been passed without it.
• Rules of origin in some agreements allow for EU inputs to continue qualifying under local content provisions, which is a new approach and potentially WTO-compliant.
• The session is scheduled to end at 12:35 pm.
• Three other Members want to ask questions.
• Nick Ashton-Hart is from the Digital Trade Network, a coalition of industry groups globally.
• He is involved in multilateral telecommunications and trade policy relating to internet use for over two decades.
• Ashton-Hart arrived in the UK in 1986 with £900.
• The Swiss-EU agreement has 20 mutual recognition chapters while the UK-Swiss agreement only has three.
• 24% of UK exports and 16% of imports under the UK-Swiss agreement are not currently covered.
• Trade agreements negotiated by smaller parties often differ from those with larger blocs due to constrained regulatory freedom.
• Judith Cummins concludes the session on behalf of the Committee.
• No further questions were raised by Members.