Barry
Gardiner MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade, commenting on
the revelation that the Department for International Trade has signed
agreements with the United States government which seek to block transparency
in UK-US trade talks, said:
“These
released letters show that Liam Fox’s promises to provide maximum transparency
are empty words devoid of any meaning.
“He
promises the country that a future trade deal with the US will not allow
reductions in our standards yet at the same time he promises the Americans that
documents pertaining to such a deal will be confidential, even where the
guidelines for the US-UK trade working group do not require such
confidentiality.
“What
is the Secretary of State trying to hide from the public?
“The
threat of deregulation in the context of a trade deal with the US is a very
real one as we saw with the chlorine-washed chicken scandal. Labour is calling for transparency and enhanced parliamentary scrutiny
of any future trade deals. Trade agreements are not just about tariffs and
barriers to trade, they are about the standards, rules and regulation that
determine what kind of society we live in.”
Ends
The
letters are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/arrangement-for-exchanging-information-during-the-uk-us-trade-and-investment-working-group
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