Government defeated in Lords over scrutiny of future trade deals
Date: 7 December 2020
Campaigns: Trade
Trade Bill vote is ‘most important decision on sovereignty all week’, campaigners say
Commenting on the passage of Amendment 6 to the Trade Bill by 308 votes to 261, Jean Blaylock, trade campaign manager at Global Justice Now, said:
“It’s great news that the House of Lords has voted to give parliament a meaningful say on trade deals. This is a big step forward for everyone who cares about healthcare and the NHS, about food standards, about climate, about digital rights, about workers rights and all the other things that are impacted by trade deals. This amendment puts in place a modern framework for democratic oversight of trade negotiations suited for the 21st century. It could well be the most important decision on sovereignty to take place all week.
“The government has said it accepts the importance of this issue, that it is committed to an inclusive and transparent trade policy and that it believes that scrutiny leads to better trade agreements. So we strongly hope it will accept the scale of this defeat and the level of cross-party support for this amendment, and accept it as part of the UK’s trade policy when the Bill returns to the Commons.”
Notes
1. The text of amendment 6 is at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/58-01/128/5801128-R-I.pdf
Photo: Parliamentlive.tv
