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Boris Johnson’s promise to prioritise US trade deal is a risk to NHS, food standards and a digital tax

Trade justice

Campaigners today issued a stark warning, that Boris Johnson’s enthusiasm to engage in a ‘quick’ US trade deal if he becomes Prime Minister next week, threatens Britain’s public services, food standards and online privacy. The Times (1) reported that Johnson is ready to travel to the US to start discussing a trade deal “as soon as possible” after becoming Prime Minister, engaging first in a limited, quick deal, but laying the grounds for a much bigger deal in coming months.

Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, said:

Campaigners launch legal challenge over UK’s ‘secret trade talks’ with United States

Trade justice

Global Justice Now has launched a legal challenge at the Information Rights Tribunal over the Department for International Trade’s failure to release details of numerous trade meetings it has held with the United States and other countries since the EU referendum in 2016.

‘Dump Trump’s Trade Deal’ banner dropped from Tower Bridge as state visit begins

Trade justice

Campaigners have this morning dropped a ‘Dump Trump’s trade deal’ banner from Tower Bridge in London in protest against a US-UK trade deal, as Donald Trump arrives in Britain for a three-day state visit.

New DFID chief must reverse hijacking of aid budget by corporate interests

Aid

Reaction to the appointment of Rory Stewart as International Development Secretary.

Scrutiny of trade deals is “anachronistic and inadequate”, Lords warn

Trade justice

Parliamentary processes on scrutiny of trade deals have today been branded as “anachronistic and inadequate” in a report released by the UK parliament’s Constitution Committee. The report on “Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties” is the sixth in a series of reports by parliamentary committees that have strongly criticised current parliamentary processes for agreeing trade deals.

In Whose Interest? The UK’s role in privatising education around the world

Aid

A new report from Global Justice Now and the National Education Union lays out the UK Department for International Development’s policies and programmes that are contributing to a privatisation agenda.

Aid watchdog brands DFID private arm ‘unsatisfactory’ – reaction

Aid

Global Justice Now today said the UK government’s international development strategy was “hell bent on pushing aid money into financial markets regardless of the consequences”, following the release of a damning report by independent aid watchdog ICAI - the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.

Government defeated in Lords over meaningful vote on future trade deals

Trade justice

Trade justice campaigners have welcomed the government's defeat over Amendment 12 to the Trade Bill in the House of Lords. A cross-party amendment to give parliament the power to hold the government to account for its trade policy was passed by 215 votes to 168.

Liam Fox ‘acting like 18th century monarch’ as plans for trade deals unveiled

Trade justice

The Department for International Trade has today set out a woeful set of proposals for the scrutiny of trade deals after Brexit, campaign group Global Justice Now has said. It follows a written statement by the secretary of state, Liam Fox, designed to allow the government’s Trade Bill to proceed in the House of Lords.

‘Woeful lack of democracy’ as Liam Fox launches US trade negotiations

Trade justice

MPs are set to debate four post-Brexit trade deals on Thursday, in a move likely to launch formal trade negotiations with the USA and Britain’s application to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But campaigners have warned MPs that the debate shows the almost complete lack of power which they will have to guide, scrutinise or stop trade deals after Brexit.

Campaigners condemn Boris-backed call to slash aid budget and scrap DFID

Aid

Campaigners from Global Justice Now have condemned a new report by Conservative MP Bob Seely, released today, for proposing to “effectively abolish” Britain’s international development programme.

NHS spends nearly £500m on cancer drugs developed with public funding

Pharma

Health campaigners have called for the government to make major changes to the way medicines are researched and developed, after new analysis of the cost of leading cancer drugs to the NHS showed that £458 million was spent in 2017/18 on paying pharmaceutical companies for medicines developed with public funding.

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