Cross-party commission to shine light on Australia deal

The cross-party UK Trade and Business commission have issued an urgent call for evidence as news emerged that agreement has been reached between the UK Government and Australia on the broad terms of a new trade deal.

The Commission will make a formal request for the full text of the agreement for scrutiny along with any accompanying documentation. They have also put out a call to hear representation from sectors which might be impacted including farming and exporters.

The Commission will hold an extraordinary session to examine the details of the deal after the government forced a bill through parliament last year which denies MPs the right to scrutinise trade deals that will affect thousands of businesses and millions of consumers.

Ahead of the announcement, worrying details had already emerged with predictions that British farmers are likely to become collateral damage in the deal. Farming unions, and industry experts have said that British farmers will struggle to compete with the scale of industrial farming from Australia who can offer cheaper produce due to the availability of space and their lower food safety and animal welfare standards compared to Britain.

A recent poll by Best for Britain found that 61% of people in the UK want the government to protect British farmers with only 20% prioritising a new deal with Australia. There are further concerns that lower quality or cruelly farmed Australian meat may be served in schools, hospitals and care homes and more regularly feature in processed meals. 

Hilary Benn MP who chairs the Commission said,

“The Prime Minister has just spent the weekend arguing with our closest allies about a treaty that he pushed through Parliament with limited scrutiny. This highlights the risks of rushing through deals for short-term political gain while failing to understand the long-term consequences

“A detailed and objective analysis is needed of how this deal will affect businesses around the country, particularly hard-hit sectors such as farming.”

Naomi Smith Chief Executive of Best for Britain said,

“A deal that will affect millions of people cannot be made on a nod and a wink. 

“Britain must continue to lead on standards around the world and any dilution of that in this deal will set a dangerous precedent for future agreements with other countries like India and the USA.”

Background

• Businesses wishing to submit evidence to the UK Trade and Business Commission can do so here

• Australia contains eight of the ten largest farms in the world including Anna Creek which at  5.8 million acres is larger than Israel.- source

• The UK Trade and Business Commission was launched in April to provide independent scrutiny of the UK’s trade deals with Europe and the rest of the world. It brings together eleven MPs from all nine Westminster parties and all four nations of the UK, along with business leaders and expert economists. The Commission is co-convened by Hilary Benn MP and the Chairman of Virgin Group, Peter Norris, and the secretariat is provided by the cross-party, pro-internationalist group Best for Britain.