Civil society groups and health experts fear race to the bottom on health in post-Brexit trade deals
Call on government to reject US trade demands
Trade deals with countries like the USA could do irreparable damage to health in post-Brexit Britain a new briefing from campaign groups and health experts warned today.
Global Justice Now took a ‘remain and reform’ position in the EU referendum – to stay in the EU in order to transform it. We feared that leaving would lead to an outpouring of xenophobia and racism, and would potentially unleash a wave of deregulation and liberalisation, especially through trade deals. We were right to be worried.
An amendment by Caroline Lucas MP (NC3) to give parliament control of post-Brexit trade deals was defeated by 30 votes in the House of Commons this afternoon as MPs debated the Trade Bill. Other amendments to give devolved administrations statutory powers over trade were also defeated before the Trade Bill debate moved on to discuss the customs unions
Campaign groups Global Justice Now and War on Want have condemned Liam Fox’s transparency concessions on the Trade Bill ahead of tomorrow’s Third Reading as inadequate, following Liam Fox’s statement to parliament this afternoon.
When Liam Fox introduced his Trade Bill last Autumn, he must have hoped it would clear parliament in a couple of months, and by now he would be busy mapping out the shape of Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the world.
Finance, accountancy and fossil fuel companies dominate meetings held by UK’s Brexit and Trade departments. UK government accused of sidelining concerns of civil society by granting extremely privileged access to corporate lobbyists.
Global Justice Now took a ‘remain and reform’ position in the EU referendum – to stay in the EU in order to transform it. We feared that leaving would lead to an outpouring of xenophobia and racism, and would potentially unleash a wave of deregulation and liberalisation, especially through trade deals. We were right to be worried.
When Liam Fox introduced his Trade Bill last Autumn, he must have hoped it would clear parliament in a couple of months, and by now he would be busy mapping out the shape of Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the world.
Liam Fox must be a very fast reader. Superhuman in fact. Because just hours after the ‘consultation’ on the trade white paper closed, the government proposed a new Trade Bill.
While MPs have been racing against the clock to amend the ‘Great Repeal Bill’ this week, another bill has been quietly introduced into parliament, with serious implications for everyone in the UK as well as millions more people round the world.
As expected and based on numerous pre-election polls, Angela Merkel has secured her fourth term as German Chancellor. Yet despite the relatively strong performance of the German economy, the result of Sunday’s election shows a sharp swing to the right. It is part of the growing political and social polarisation overtaking Europe, created by anti-migrant and anti-establishment sentiments.
The Grenfell Tower fire has come to symbolise everything rotten in modern Britain. Deregulation and privatisation have turned the class divide into a gaping chasm. The government exists for the richest, while the rest are thrown on the mercy of the market.
Civil society groups and health experts fear race to the bottom on health in post-Brexit trade deals
Call on government to reject US trade demands
Trade deals with countries like the USA could do irreparable damage to health in post-Brexit Britain a new briefing from campaign groups and health experts warned today.
