Key Facts

• Amendment proposes provisions for scrutiny of international trade agreements.
• Amendments 5, 6, 7 would apply provisions to non-EU rollover trade agreements.
• Amendments require parliamentary committees' recommendations and resolutions within set timelines before orders or regulations can be made.
• New clause 5 requires laying before Parliament a sustainability impact assessment following consultation.
• Both Houses of Parliament must pass a resolution authorising the Secretary of State to enter negotiations.
• The text of the agreement must be made available for at least 21 sitting days, and a resolution is required from the House of Commons approving signing.
• New clause 6 mandates that sustainability impact assessments include economic, social, cultural, food security, environmental interests, and human rights impacts.
• Consultations under new clause 6 shall actively seek views from various stakeholders including devolved authorities, businesses, trade unions, and non-governmental organisations.
• The forecast predicts a warm week.
• Government Member pressured another member to speak again at length.
• Members may remove their jackets if it makes them more comfortable.
• The government's programme has changed its stance several times on reporting differences between existing EU agreements and continuity agreements.
• There is a cautionary tale from Australia about the impact of free trade agreements, particularly regarding the decline of the Australian car industry due to import tariffs being lifted while non-tariff barriers remained in place.
• The International Chamber of Commerce UK produced a paper advocating for proper scrutiny by elected representatives and wider stakeholders.
• The process of negotiating trade deals should involve parliamentarians from the beginning.
• Trade deals typically take six to eight years but some nations are pushing for quicker timelines, putting the UK in a weaker position.
• There is no rocket science involved in ideal trade deal negotiations; it requires involvement through consultation with various stakeholders and updates during negotiation stages.
• The statement is made four years after the EU referendum.
• MPs will have less say than counterparts in Brussels and Washington under the current system.
• In Putney and Wandsworth, 39% of jobs are in sectors impacted by continuity agreements.
• New clause 6 lists various impact assessments including economic, social, human rights, environmental, animal welfare, and food standards.
• The UK has an untapped potential of £124 billion in the export of goods alone.
• The Government has ratified 20 continuity agreements with 48 countries.
• These agreements represent £110 billion-worth of UK trade in 2018, accounting for 74% of pre-withdrawal agreement trade.
• All regulations made to implement obligations under these arrangements will be subject to the affirmative procedure and a five-year sunset clause.
• The Government have published negotiation objectives and economic impact assessments.
• Parliament has debated six continuity agreements passed through CRAG since 2010.
• CRAG provides opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny of future trade agreements.
• The UK Government's approach to the Scottish fiscal framework negotiations involved not publishing text during the negotiation process.
• Amendment 6 seeks to disapply CRAG for international trade agreements and apply a super-affirmative procedure instead.
• CRAG was designed through extensive consultation in 2010 and was supported by both major parties at that time.
• The continuity agreements cover around 40 or more EU deals.
• Witnesses were unanimous in their view on the importance of these continuity agreements.
• The Labour party opposes rolling over some agreements negotiated during their previous government tenure.
• The amendments seek to rewrite the constitutional balance regarding international agreements.
• Continuity agreements have already been scrutinised under EU agreements.
• New free trade agreements (FTAs) will require implementing legislation if necessary, making amendment proposals unnecessary.
• Treaty texts can change significantly until signature and sharing them could be a waste of parliamentary time.
• The Command Paper was published by a previous Government.
• Scoping assessments have been published for UK-US, UK-Japan, UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand FTAs before negotiations started.
• Scotland would benefit the most from the US trade agreement, followed by the west midlands and then the north-east of England.
• The EU does not always speak with one voice in trade negotiations.
• The Government has published parliamentary reports for each of the 20 continuity agreements signed.
• CRAG allows a period of 21 sitting days for scrutiny before formal ratification.
• South Korean and Swiss agreements have been signed and gone through CRAG.
• The Queen’s Speech states that the Trade Bill's purpose is to allow the UK to operate its own independent trade policy post-Brexit.
• The Government committed to limited improvements to the Bill by allowing parliamentary scrutiny in the form of reports and sunset clauses, but these commitments have not been upheld.
• 39% of jobs in one constituency depend on trade with countries where there are roll-over agreements.
• The Trade Bill needs effective legislation to implement agreements with partner countries.
• There were six times that Esterson's colleagues asked witnesses about continuity agreements last week.
• Last year’s bill was not perfect but could have been brought back and amended earlier.
• CRAG approach relies on Opposition days within a 21-day period, which is dependent on the Government making time available in Parliament.
• Amendment 9 would require previous ratification of free trade agreements before regulations could be made to implement them.
• It applies specifically to the EU-Vietnam and EU-Canada agreements which have not been ratified as of 31 January.
• The new UK-Vietnam agreement should face proper scrutiny under the Bill’s terms due to its potential legal distinction from the EU deal.
• Amendment 9 would restrict the scope of agreements that can be implemented using clause 2 power.
• Important trade agreements, such as CETA and CARIFORUM, have not been fully ratified by all EU member states but are in effect.
• The Canada agreement (CETA) is an example of a treaty affected by the amendment's proposed changes.
• The amendment rules out rolling over EU EPAs.
• Labour opposed some EU EPAs in the past.
• Amendment 9 would delete Canada from the list of agreements subject to roll-over powers.
• Fleur Anderson asked if not securing a free trade agreement with Canada by December 31st means reverting to WTO terms.
• Amendment 10 would ensure regulations on international trade agreements align with human rights laws, workers' rights, women's rights, children's rights, and the sovereignty of Parliament.
• The amendment is similar to one moved by Graham Brady two years ago.
• Amnesty International has raised concerns about the Bill granting wide powers to Ministers to amend retained EU law, including the Equality Act 2010 and Modern Slavery Act 2015.
• The EU conducts sustainability impact assessments on all new trade agreements.
• There is no provision in the Bill for undertaking social and environmental assessments of prospective trade agreements.
• The TUC has raised concerns over the lack of consultation on the text of 19 continuity agreements signed so far.
• Trade unions in Colombia experience widespread human rights abuses.
• Trade union leaders in South Korea have been imprisoned for peaceful protest.
• MPs should be able to see and comment on the text of continuity deals.
• The amendment aims to ensure future trade deals do not undermine human rights and workers' rights.
• Section 230-style provisions pushed by US tech firms could restrict domestic regulation in UK-US trade deal.
• Community Security Trust's report outlines the global threat of far-right terror from social media platforms.
• Continuity agreements should be consistent with safeguards outlined in the amendment.
• The Bill contains no mention of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
• Trade agreements can act as barriers to achieving global goals.
• There is precedence in the EU’s trade deals for including human rights clauses since the early 1990s.
• Compliance with ILO’s declaration on fundamental rights at work and other conventions are key to making progress towards SDGs.
• None of the continuity agreements rolled over so far contain mechanisms to sanction governments failing to respect labour rights.
• The UK has signed 20 trade agreements that replicate existing EU agreements.
• Parliamentary reports will confirm the compliance of these agreements with international obligations.
• The EU-Vietnam agreement is scheduled to come into effect on 1 August.
• The amendment aims to prevent conflicts between international trade agreements and UK’s environmental commitments.
• Esterson criticizes the Government for missing climate targets and funding fossil fuel projects over renewables.
• Various organisations such as the Institute of Directors, CBI, ClientEarth, and TUC support this type of amendment.
• The amendment aims to align the UK's trade policy with its environmental ambitions.
• Trade agreements could undermine efforts to meet climate obligations by liberalising regulations, including environmental ones.
• The US has ruled out discussing climate change in future trade negotiations with the UK.
• The UK's Climate Change Act 2008 sets legally binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
• The UK aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
• Since 1990, the UK has reduced carbon emissions by nearly twice the EU average at 42%.
• The US Government views food production differently than the UK.
• Representative Lighthizer has stated that chlorinated chicken must be part of a trade deal with the UK.
• Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State, also supports including chlorinated chicken in the agreement.
• The US has ten times more food poisonings than the EU due to allowable defect levels in food products.
• US producers are legally allowed up to certain thresholds for contaminants in food products.
• Food poisoning is a significant problem in the United States due to these allowances.
• British and European standards have zero thresholds for contaminants.
• More than 100 constituents have written to Fleur Anderson calling for a food standards commission.
• NFU has expressed concerns about future trade partners urging the UK to follow their sanitary and phytosanitary standards, which may diverge from current UK practice.
• The British Poultry Council warns of a two-tier food system if imports with lower production standards are allowed into the UK market.
• The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland oversee UK food standards.
• There are 20 continuity agreements with 48 countries ratified by Parliament.
• No domestic standards have been eroded in these agreements.
• The new clause sets up the Joint Ministerial Committee as a forum for discussions.
• It mandates the Secretary of State to produce documents outlining objectives, strategies, progress updates, and consultation plans before entering into international trade agreements.
• The Joint Ministerial Committee includes representatives from Her Majesty’s Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Executive.
• Amendment 8 relates to powers of the devolved Administrations.
• Previous Trade Bill included provisions prohibiting devolved Administrations from modifying retained EU legislation inconsistently with UK Government modifications.
• There is no statutory obligation for UK Government to consult or seek consent from Scottish Ministers before exercising powers in devolved areas.
• New clause 16 would establish a joint ministerial committee for discussing international trade issues.
• Geographical Indications (GIs) are significant for Welsh lamb, Scottish salmon, and Scotch whisky economies.
• Two areas reserved but subject to continued discussion: state aid and food GIs.
• Cabinet Office revised framework analysis published in April last year.
• The negotiation of international trade agreements is a prerogative power of the UK Government.
• A bespoke ministerial forum for trade with devolved Administrations was established in January 2019.
• Amendment 8 will create concurrent powers allowing each devolved Administration to implement transitional agreements independently or through UK-wide legislation as needed.
• The Government commits not to legislate within devolved areas without the consent of relevant devolved Administrations and never without consulting them first.
• International treaties are reserved matters under the current devolved process.
• There is an interface between international trade treaties and devolved competences that may require structured statutory formal engagement.
• The amendment was withdrawn by leave.