Our take on what Brexit might mean for TTIP and other trade deals

Date: 24 June 2016

Responding to the results of the EU referendum and the impacts on TTIP, Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now said:

“The British government has done everything possible to push the most extreme version of TTIP, just as they’ve fought against pretty much every financial regulation in the EU, from bankers bonuses to a financial transaction tax. High-profile supporters of the Brexit campaign have repeatedly said that they believe the UK would be able to realise a more “ambitious” and faster free trade deal if we stood alone. Boris Johnson has already cited a highly problematic trade deal between Canada and the EU as a model for possible trade deals in future.

“There’s every reason to believe that the rightwing lurch of Brexit could turn the UK into a paradise for free market capitalism: a TTIP on steroids. The ‘Leave’ result could enable these politicians to pursue trade deals or policies that would be even worse than what we currently face with TTIP. 

“TTIP is on the verge of defeat and that’s thanks to an alliance of civil society organisations, social movements and progressive politicians from across Europe who have worked together to oppose the deal. Brexit means that we need to redouble our efforts to stop the UK’s free market fundamentalists from enabling massive corporate power grabs through bilateral trade deals. Progressives on both sides of debate need to work towards a trade framework built on equality, fairness for workers and the redistribution of wealth towards those communities who have rebelled so vehemently against the political establishment this morning.”