International Trade Committee inquiry into UK trade negotiations with Australia

The International Trade Committee ran an inquiry scrutinising the Government’s free trade agreement (FTA) with Australia. It took written and oral evidence to inform a report on the FTA.

Traidcraft Exchange’s response focused on the seeming disconnect between the UK Government’s stated objectives on climate change and development and its approach to trade post-Brexit, demonstrated in the FTA with Australia. These concerns fall under:

a.      increased emissions due to FTAs

b.      choice of FTA partners

c.      climate content of FTAs

d.      climate-related content of FTAs

e.      development content of FTAs

f.       development-related FTAs

g.      scrutiny of FTAs

We urge the Government to develop and publish an over-arching trade strategy that aligns with its climate and development objectives, to steer its FTA negotiations and other trade policy decisions going forward. Without such a strategy, it is difficult to imagine that the missed opportunities of the FTA with Australia will not repeat themselves.