Key Facts

• Amendments aim to apply the provisions of the Bill to non-EU rollover trade agreements.
• The proposed procedure includes laying draft orders or regulations before Parliament with explanations for their necessity.
• Committees of either House have a period of up to 21 sitting days to recommend against an order or regulation being made.
• Sustainability impact assessments must be carried out following consultation.
• Consultations must actively seek views from Scottish Ministers, Welsh Ministers, Northern Ireland devolved authority, businesses, trade unions, and other relevant persons or organisations.
• Public bodies, NGOs, and the public should be made aware of consultations prominently on government websites.
• Sustainability impact assessments must include economic, social, cultural, food security, environmental interests, and human rights impacts.
• Clause 8 requires the publication of agreement texts within ten days after negotiation rounds.
• Clause 19 mandates reports on significant differences in trade-related provisions before UK ratification.
• Clause 20 enforces the laying of detailed comparison reports at least 10 Commons sitting days before regulations implementation.
• The Soil Association has outlined top 10 risks for a potential UK-US trade deal.
• One risk is anti-microbial resistance, with experts warning that up to 10 million people could die annually by 2050 from this issue.
• US farming uses antibiotics five times higher than in the UK on average per annum.
• Chlorine washing of chicken is ineffective at getting rid of infection risks.
• The EU banned steroid hormone drugs for beef production in 1989.
• An EU scientific review concluded that one commonly used hormone is carcinogenic.
• The Soil Association highlighted concerns over nutritional labelling and genetically modified foods.
• Incidents of food poisoning affect 14% of US population annually compared to 1% in UK.
• Concerns exist that a US trade deal could undermine NHS purchasing model for drugs.
• Standstill clauses and ratchet clauses can lock in levels of privatisation and limit future Government scope.
• The TUC is working with American trade unions to inform British workers and Parliament about negotiating texts.
• ISDS clauses allow new investors to sue the Government over measures that harm their profits, potentially creating a regulatory chill.
• Cargill won $77 million from Mexico after introducing a tax to deter high-fructose syrup.
• Amendments 4, 5, 6, 7, and 19 are proposed.
• New clause 5 sets out the process for scrutiny of free trade agreements before signing.
• New clause 6 would require a full sustainability impact assessment.
• The Tradeshow Access Programme has received a 60% cut in financial support over five years.
• £16.2 million was available to help British businesses access new export markets, which reduced to £6.5 million since 2018-19.
• The amendments would require consent of the British people through their representatives in Parliament to agree to any trade treaty.
• 39% of businesses in Putney will be affected by these trade negotiations but may face a lack of scrutiny due to the Bill.
• The Institute of Directors and Confederation of British Industry have expressed concerns about transparency, standards in negotiations, immigration policy, temporary labour mobility, e-commerce, and digital commerce.
• The speaker raises concerns about mode 4 agreements potentially affecting immigration requirements.
• Ministers are criticised for not explaining the potential downsides of trade deals.
• Previous government promises regarding free trade agreements have been inconsistent and unfulfilled.
• Ministers had to be dragged to publish the February 2019 Command Paper on future scrutiny of free trade agreements.
• There has been zero progress on agreeing to give a Committee of the House access to confidential information and briefing from negotiators.
• The UK-Swiss deal has only three mutual recognition chapters compared to the EU-Swiss deal's twenty.
• Out of 11 European products that can be exported at zero or reduced tariffs in the EU agreement with South Korea, the UK secured an agreement for only two.
• Japanese plants are vulnerable due to lack of clarity on UK's future position with the EU.
• A Japanese ambassador’s event two and a half years ago highlighted that Japan would closely monitor UK decisions regarding EU arrangements.
• The Japanese are cautious about entering into any trade deal until there is certainty about the UK's relationship with the EU.
• Sam Lowe from the Centre for European Reform gave UK parliamentary process for trade treaty scrutiny less than five out of ten.
• Trade Justice Movement described the current UK parliamentary process as archaic, dating back to the first world war.
• The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 does not require Parliament’s approval for the Government to ratify treaties.
• The statement criticizes the lack of detailed scrutiny arrangements for UK-Swiss and UK-Norway deals compared to their EU counterparts.
• Only three out of twenty mutual recognition agreement chapters from the Swiss-EU deal are in place in the UK-Swiss deal.
• The South Koreans want to renegotiate after two years, indicating dissatisfaction with current agreements.
• The current scrutiny processes are deemed insufficient by the MP.
• There are at least four possible ways for Parliaments to be involved in treaties as outlined in the Library note.
• Examples include HS2 development, Transport for London's private Bill, and international practices such as those of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
• CRAG does not require Parliament’s approval for treaty ratification.
• The House of Lords amended the previous Bill to give Parliament a role in setting mandates and approving final trade agreements.
• There is support for debates on objectives, reports on progress, publication of negotiation texts, public consultations, and independent impact assessments.
• Future trade agreements should concern public services, digital services, and health and food standards.
• Professor Winters described UK-Japan talks as “studiously” vague.
• Parliament's engagement can be used as a negotiating tactic, similar to the US Congress.
• The Command Paper commits to working with House Authorities to establish which committee should have access to sensitive information.